A Second Chance
by Sam Le Faie
Summary: Natsu Dragneel made a mistake and paid for it with his marriage. Now, fate has thrust a very unwilling blonde back into his life and into his... office? Being forced to work with the man who betrayed her heart makes Lucy Heartfilia's blood boil... but does it boil with hatred or... Natsu x Lucy.
1. The End pt 1

Just cause I felt like it. R & R.

Faie.

* * *

The End part 1

The hotel lounge was small, but comfortably so. The marble ceilings were lined with a narrow strip of fleur-de-lis that accentuated its elegance. The soft cadence of jazz oozed from the steel netting of the small speakers tucked away in the corner of the friezes and a comfortable dim glow enveloped the area, lending the area a cozy, if not romantic, ambience.

Behind the rose wood bar, a single bartender hummed softly to himself as he wiped down the last of the glasses and lined them in the tall glass cabinet behind him in neat, rows, occasionally realigning them in a sudden spur of OCD. Beside him, the ornate oak mantelpiece ticked past an early 10 but the hotel bar had nearly emptied out by then.

It was a Thursday night, and in their small city of five million and barely increasing, 9pm was about the time people adjourned to their homes. Most of the shops were already locked up, the darkness having settled into the silence of each individual alcove. At this hour, the only people who were still taking to the streets and hotels were either business expatriates who lived by different hours or those looking to paint the town red.

She was neither of them, but it wasn't like she had a home to return to anyway.

At least, not anymore.

The petite blonde woman sat at the end of the bar, sipping quietly at a strawberry daiquiri, alone with her thoughts. For the fifth time in the past half hour, the bartender flicked a subtle glance her way, and for the fifth time in the past half hour, she ignored him.

The hotel bars, unlike the rest of the town, were supposed to be open till 2am, and she was determined to hold up till at least 1. The place was warm, cozy and there was music. Not to mention there came by the occasional kindred soul who shared her silent, no-questions-asked company with their own selection of soul redeeming drinks. At that very moment though, she was sitting alone along the stretch of lacquered wood paneling, but the plush leather armchairs behind her accommodated two different couples and a small group of men still clothed in tasteful grey Armani. Slightly slurred banter drifted her way from their closed group and the blonde took another long sip from her glass, swirling the mix of crushed ice and fruit flavoured liquid across the blade of her tongue.

She was halfway through her second glass when a sudden rustling to her left caught her attention, though she never turned around. Instead, she awarded the latest stranger a cursory glance through the corner of her eye then resumed the very fascinating task of counting the number of water droplets on the side of her glass.

The male ordered a whiskey on the rocks and she inwardly upped her impression of him. His voice was deep, smooth and tinged with a hint of seduction. Still, that didn't mean she was interested. He was the fourth male to come up to her on this very long, dreary night and quite frankly, she had had enough of male company for one day.

She had been stuck between two males on her flight back to her hometown; one a decrepit octogenarian who snored like a car long overdue its servicing and the other, a hyper eight year old on a sugar rush who jammed his fingers on his plastic console all throughout the journey, occasionally interrupting the vestiges of what silence she had left with excited yells of victory.

She had finally managed to get some peace and quiet upon arriving at the hotel room that she had booked in advance, though why she did so, she didn't know. The hotels were always operating at a minimum around this time of the year. Though initially intending to spend the rest of her night buried in the softness of the bed, eyes pinned at her laptop, the silence of the room had finally gotten too deafening, even to the point where Ravel didn't serve to ease her agitation. Finally, the blonde had slipped into a convenient red waterfall sleeve dress and headed down to the bar where she had ruminating over daiquiris ever since.

The male drew her eye again when he extended his hand towards her, cutting into the line of sight that she had trained on her glass.

The blonde stifled a sigh and turned around. Frustrated as she was, she had been raised to be lady, and blatantly ignoring someone's greeting would make her father turn in his grave.

The male sitting beside her was clothed in a suit tailored to perfection.

His broad shoulders were outlined by the stark black lines of his jacket, and it was obvious to the eye that he was in fit, if not amazing shape. She trailed an appreciative gaze across the length of his arm and up to his shoulders, where the longer strands of his hair barely curled over the dark cloth. A strong, masculine jaw came into view and she slid her eyes over his face.

He was easily the handsomest male she had met all night, with his earthy auburn brown hair and clear green eyes.

The blonde sipped at her daiquiri, and raised a questioning brow when he raised a finger in the direction of the bartender and ordered another martini, which he promptly slid in her direction.

"You look like you could easily handle something stronger than a daiquiri."

"Are you questioning my tastes?"

He raised his palms in defense, chuckling amiably. "Not at all. Merely making a friendly suggestion. May I know your name, miss?"

She turned back to the front, taking another small sip from her glass. "I'm not a people person."

"That's all right. Everyone has their little secrets." He replied smoothly, not wanting to push his luck with what was easily the most attractive woman in the lounge on this quiet night.

"Are you here alone? Seems like a damned shame a woman such as yourself would be in a hotel on a night meant for family."

He noticed how her fingers instantly tightened around the stem of her glass and he knew that he'd struck a chord with her. His guess was confirmed when the corner of her lips turned downwards and she sucked in her cheeks for a fleeting second. The next moment, the woman found herself setting down her daiquiri and reaching for the martini, the stronger drink instantly sending a buzz to her already mildly intoxicated brain.

"I apologize if I have offended you in anyway."

"That's fine. What makes you think I'm not here on business like yourself?" She replied.

"Your demeanor."

"That could be the alcohol." She replied sardonically.

The next half hour passed in a blur, and she found herself rather enjoying the spicy tang of the martini on her tongue and the smooth timbre of the male's voice. She still hadn't introduced herself and neither had he, but at this hour of the night, what did names matter anyway? By the time she sipped down to the ice level of her martini, the buzzing in her head had hit a rather alarming level. At the back of her hazy mind, a thought probed at her.

She knew that if she continued to sit here in the company of this glorious looking man, her night would end up being something very different from what she had planned.

So she took another sip. And another.

Moments later, she found herself pressed up against the gilded glass mirror of the hotel elevator, her hands tangled in the stranger's brown hair and his arms around her waist as he ravaged her lips without an ounce of the gentlemanly charm he had been conversing with.

He muttered an invective when she reached her tongue into his mouth and trailed it slowly along the ridged roof of the cavern, her hands sliding down to wrap around his neck. Sliding one warm palm upwards along the length of her thigh, the man inched his fingers around the smooth curve of her flesh, and pushed his palm upwards. The blonde nearly cried out when the edge of his palm grazed her core with a soft pressure and she gripped onto his shoulders, fighting the urge to grind herself into his hand.

The elevator doors slid open to an empty hallway and the pair stumbled clumsily along the corridor where she finally dragged him to a halt in front of her room. Fumbling with her purse, she cursed into his hair when her hotel room card refused to slide obediently into the card slot and instead clacked gratingly on the steel plating of the lock. Her efforts were further impeded when he trailed his lips down the bare skin of her neck and nibbled her collarbone teasingly and she moaned.

The male laughed amusedly against her skin where his lips were kneading the exposed flesh of her mound above her neckline.

"Let me do it."

The pair nearly crashed through the door the second the lock gave way, shedding clothing as they went. The blonde was down to her lacy underwear by the time she felt herself hit the bed.

Her hair was a tousled mess around her neck, and her breathing was rough and ragged as she regarded the male in front of her. With hastened speed, he nearly tore his white dress shirt off his chest, revealing his toned chest and pecs. His black trousers followed quickly after, the piece of clothing joining its discarded predecessors on the carpet. The man was now down to his briefs and in spite of herself, she let out a sigh. This strange man was indeed attractive even under his clothing, even though it wasn't anything she had never seen before.

The anticipation in her, however, abruptly bubbled into something else entirely when he climbed onto the bed in front of her. She felt a sudden leap in her chest and her eyes widened.

Watching him crawl slowly towards her, a hungry glint in his verdant hued orbs, Her fists clenched tightly, her fingernails scratching at the sheets beneath her body. She drew in a shaky breath, one that the stranger in her bed mistook for excitement, especially since she was now only clad in the bottom half of her underwear. She could see how lust darkened his eyes even further at the sight of her bare chest heaving and her throat tightened.

Suddenly nervous, the blonde fumbled blindly behind her for a pillow and brought it against herself, the cold fabric abrading her bare skin. His brows arched in surprise and he paused where he was, less than a meter away from where she was huddled against the headboard of the four poster bed.

"W-wait…" Her lips parted and she nervously bore down on her lower lip. Even in the darkness of the room, the man could see how the sexual tension in her expression had completely given way to fear and he tangled a hand in his hair.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were a… an innocent."

The blonde paused for a moment. "I'm not. It's just… I…"

Her fingers dug deeper into the fluffy pillow she had clutched firmly against herself as she wondered how to broach the topic. How was she going to do that now, with her in half of her favourite pair of Victoria's Secrets and him in a tight piece of spandex that barely concealed anything at all?

She gave an inward groan. Geez, everything was always so easy right up until the deciding moment.

He nodded, as if privy to her thoughts. "You're one of those types then?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not particularly into that kind of stuff but…" He lowered his eyelids seductively. "But I don't mind trying it out with you."

Her brows furrowed. "I'm sorry. I don't… I don't get you."

"You can use my tie if you want."

He swung his legs off his bed and bent down to pick up a strip of silvery grey cloth. She found herself arching her neck to get a closer look at his well defined rear end but halted herself with a mental slap to both cheeks.

_Damnit! Don't you dare ogle him when you have more pressing matters to attend to!_

She was jolted back to the present when he handed her the strip of cloth with an expectant look in his eyes.

"Where should I sit?"

The blonde's mouth gaped as she stared at him and his outstretched arm. Glancing down at the tie in his hand, before realization finally dawned on her face. Thrusting an arm away from her, she exclaimed in surprise.

"You misunderstood! I'm not into bondage. I just want to say that… I'm…"

She bit her lip again as she hugged the pillow to herself. She tucked her legs towards herself behind the pillow, as if that would serve to steel her sense. She felt more like a cornered deer before her hunter. Bare, exposed and vulnerable.

The male cocked his head as he stared at her blankly, waiting for her to continue speaking.

_Mother-fucking-damnit! You're a grown woman, so behave like one. Not some prissy bitch who can't even get a coherent sentence out._

The man nearly jumped when she slapped her palms against her cheeks.

"Uhm… Are you…"

"No."

"Sorry?"

She took in a deep breath to settle the growing anxiety in her belly. "I changed my mind. Please leave."

The patience on his face immediately wiped from his expression and she forced herself not to jump when his hand suddenly fisted around the tie. "Excuse me?"

Forcing herself to speak in a calm manner, she repeated her request. This time, her amber orbs were locked on firmly onto his eyes, determination steeling her expression. A tendril of fear curled in her gut when his brows slammed down in anger. "What are you playing at, you tease? You were the one who invited me in."

"And now I'm asking you to leave." She prayed to whatever deities who were still on her side that her lower lip didn't tremble when she spoke.

The pair regarded each other in silence for a moment, the blonde woman with her unyielding stare and the brunette male with his furious glare. Her teeth clamped shut with a soft click when he suddenly shifted, his arm coming down to rest by his side. The blonde could see how the muscles in his corded arms tensed when his fist tightened around the strip, his finely manicured nails no doubt digging tears into the fine fabric.

The glare seeped from his eyes and his gaze turned cold. "You're serious?"

She refused to relent, and nodded tersely.

The blonde nearly fainted from the tension that had been building up inside her when she finally heard the door to her room click shut. Wrapping a bed sheet around herself, she leapt off the bed and dashed towards the door, heaving a sigh of relief when the deadbolt slid into place. The tension instantly drained from her limbs and the blonde slid down against the hallway wall, the cold marble sending chills down her skin.

She huddled herself into a ball where she sat, her face clutched in her hand. Reaching to her side, she popped open the mini fridge and grabbed the nearest bottle she could reach.

Apple cider.

Weak, but better than nothing.

The blonde let out a weak chuckle and a single tear slid down her cheek as she upturned the bottle into her mouth.

* * *

Pilot chapter so it's short. Please review. I have other ongoing fics so depending on reader satisfaction, I might be putting priority on the other stuff first but I'm currently in a funk with the others, especially Wanting More. While I'm not big on demanding reviews, I would like to know if you can spare the minute.

So review review review.

Thanx!

Faie.


	2. The End pt 2

The End part 2

"You're really going through with this then?"

Gray Fullbuster slid his hands into the pockets of his grey trousers and leaned against the glass wall of the lift. As the doors closed around them, he watched his friend with a solemn expression.

Natsu Dragneel jammed a finger against the lift button and heaved a heavy sigh. The tall male dug a shaky hand into his spiky pink locks as pain flashed across his hooded eyes.

"I've no choice. I received the official notice two weeks ago. She's adamant."

"Yes, but… Still you guys could-"

The pink haired scoffed. "Talk it out? How will I do that if she won't even pick up my calls or answer any of the mails that I sent?"

Gray sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

"So what now? You're just going down to sign the documents?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Natsu peeked at his friend from underneath his long bangs.

Damn it to hell, but he really needed a haircut. But with everything on his plate, a neat fringe was the last thing on his priority list. That and tidying up his apartment. Thank God for cantankerous fifty-year-old Spaniards who grumbled expletives at messily discarded clothing but still took them away to clean anyway.

Natsu really didn't know what he would do if Mendoza hadn't chosen to stay after he had moved from the friendly two bedroom suite by the park to the much smaller, lonelier loft across the street from his office.

Gray's eyes flickered to the side, away from his friend's prying stare. "Not really…"

"Thought so."

The elevator dinged to a stop and the males stepped out of the small box and into the imposing glass and steel lobby of the corporate edifice, their black dress shoes clicking against the polished marble floor beneath their feet.

The cool air of the lobby gave way to the dry, blistering heat of Magnolia's summer as they stepped through the revolving glass doors of the building. The men brought their hands against their foreheads to shield themselves from the sunlight as they strode forward towards the curb. It was lunchtime, and getting a cab at this hour would be akin to getting tip-free lunches in Crocus. Bloody impossible.

Thankfully, and rather surprisingly, a black limousine pulled up to where they stood barely a minute later. Natsu's onyx eyes widened when the driver's seat window rolled down to reveal a man none other than their burly silver haired friend.

"Elfman?" Gray exclaimed. "Weren't you stuck in some meeting with our spitfire presi-"

A second head peeked out from behind Elfman's silver spikes and a slender female hand waved at the men. "Hello, Gray."

The black haired male stumbled backwards, gasping.

"E-Erza! You're here too? D-did I say spitfire? Ha… hahaha! I meant prodigious-"

The woman smirked. "Clam it, Gray. I'm not here to hear how you guys gossip behind my back like little bitches. I'm here to support Natsu." Her brown eyes slid to the left to land on the second male.

Natsu raised his palms in defense and laughed weakly. "You don't have to, Erza. I'm just going to sign some papers then leave."

"They're not just any papers!" She retorted. "They're your div-"

Erza's words caught in her throat when she caught sight of the pained look that creased the male's brows. Gray cast a worried glance at his friend when Natsu's hands clenched by his sides.

A tiny blush of embarrassment lined the redhead's cheeks and she waved her hand about, hoping to clear a bit of the heavy tension that now draped over their small congregation.

"S-sorry…I wasn't thinking. Anyway, Elfman and I finished early and we decided to join you guys. You need a ride right? Come on."

Gray popped the door open and slid in, but when Natsu didn't move to follow, he paused.

"You coming?"

"I… uh…"

"C'mon, fla- Natsu. This beats waiting for a cab."

The traffic was heavy but they managed to reach their destination with time to spare.

The sleek vehicle turned a bend behind a convoy of silver cars decorated with the flags of some foreign ambassador. The small convoy drove on past, while their black limo rolled to a halt in front of the stately building. Three doors popped open and the limo continued on towards the car park behind the building.

The city courthouse was designed on anything but modest lines.

Having occupied the lion's share of the street from when the city had first sprung up as a small town surviving on trade and agriculture, the building's architecture was distinctly Romanesque in nature. Tall stone arches rose to intimidating heights above their heads as the trio slowly ascended the steep slope of steps leading up the entranceway. The floor that was once refined stone had since been laid over with modern porcelain tiles that shone with a luster appropriate of such an august setting. All three of them had different reactions to the splendor that decorated the courthouse.

Erza's eyes shone in appreciation at such an opulent setup; she had always been one for appearances.

Gray's eyes were trained on the space in front of him, his expression drained of any emotion as he followed a step behind Erza.

Natsu's own gaze dragged across the floor in front of him as though he found the muted reflection of himself in the tiles fascinating. He walked at a slightly slower speed than his companions, and from the way he kept taking increasingly short steps, it was apparent that this was the last place he wanted to be. Elfman caught up with them just in time to enter the elevator, to which Natsu was quietly relieved. Something about his friend's imposing stature gave him an extra sense of security.

The hallways on the fourth level did not give an inch in terms of interior decoration, even though they had undergone much renovation. The walls were no longer hewn from stone but had been remodeled with smooth oak paneling. The Aubusson carpet was a lush layer of rich red and gold fleur-de-lis that complimented the wood perfectly. The four came to a halt, where they were surprised to see a single girl sitting at a bench against the wall marking the end of the hallway.

She was dressed in a simple grey pantsuit over a white blouse with a ruffled collar. Her blue hair had been pulled up into a bun but her bangs hung in soft curls on either side of her face. She had her head buried in a book, but from the glazed look in her eyes, it was obvious that she wasn't absorbing anything.

Erza was the first one to announce their appearance.

"Hello, Levy."

The blunette looked up, and her surprise gave way to a look of joy. She laid her book down and stood up, her small arms coming around her friend in a friendly embrace.

"Erza! Nice to see you again! Gray, Elfman and… Natsu. Hello, guys."

Breaking the hug, she moved to shake each of their hands, but when she got to Natsu, Levy paused for a second. The four startled when sadness suddenly bubbled up onto her face and the blunette let out a loud sobbing sound. Tearing her hand away from the pink haired male's, Levy threw her arms around his shoulders instead and pulled him into a hug.

Her voice was watery and nearly incoherent. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Natsu."

He laughed weakly. "It's not your fault."

"Still… I'm sorry. I tried, I _really_ _really_ tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn't listen."

Natsu sighed and gently pushed the girl off him. Bringing his sleeve to her face, he wiped the tears that had pooled in her eyes.

"It's not your fault, Levy. If anything, I brought this upon myself."

"But-!"

"Not your fault." He reiterated, this time more firmly. Drawing in a deep breath, he glanced around.

"And where is she?"

The blunette gave a watery hiccup. "Inside. We reached half an hour ago."

He choked back a laugh. "She never changes, huh. Still arriving way before everyone else."

Breaking away from Levy, Natsu turned to face the closed door beside them, his hand coming up to rest on the doorknob. A hand came up to grab his shoulder gently, followed by another and another. Within seconds, all four of his friends had a hand stacked up on his left shoulder.

"Good luck, flam- I mean, Natsu."

"Don't worry too much about it."

"We'll be right here if you need us."

The pink haired male nodded his thanks at his friends and drew in another deep breath. Steeling himself, he turned the knob and stepped into the small chamber, the clicking sound of the door closing resounding loudly behind him. All of a sudden, he was assailed by a need to flee the room but his feet refused to budge, mainly because of the nature of the company he had on this side of the door.

A middle aged man was sitting behind a large escritoire, his attention glued to a stack of documents, a feather pen between his fingers. He was adorned in a brown plaid suit and was balding before his years.

But it wasn't he or his receding hairline who had so stolen the pink haired male's attention.

An adult female sat in one of the chairs in front of the large desk. She was dressed in a black pantsuit over a wine red blouse. Her entire form was devoid of any feminine accessories except for a single silver watch adorning her left wrist. Every strand of her long blonde hair had been pulled up into an austere bun.

On most females, the hairstyle would have relegated them to looking overly serious and plain, but on this woman, the severe hairstyle drew his eyes to the sleek lines of her profile, her rounded forehead, pert nose and plump lips.

Lips he had once kissed.

Fuck.

Upon hearing his arrival, the blonde female turned to face him, her hands gripping the armrests of the chair as she stood up. From where she stood against the light, he couldn't decipher her expression very well but it was obvious that she had on make-up.

The only time the blonde ever layered on make-up was when she wanting to hide something on her face, specifically, after she had been crying the night before.

Double fuck.

Natsu took a small step towards her, his eyes trained on her face to gauge her reaction. When her expression didn't change, he closed the rest of the distance between them, coming to a halt beside her smaller, petite form.

The past year in which he had not seen her had seen some subtle differences in her appearance.

While she still looked every bit an attractive female, her face was slimmer now, her cheekbones more prominent. Her waist also seemed to have shrunk a little, resulting in her hourglass curves to become starker. He could only attribute that to an improper diet. Her expression looked tired and drawn, like she had not slept properly in days and he yearned to touch his hand to her cheek to ease the stress he could see in her eyes. But he couldn't, not anymore.

Clenching his fists by his sides, Natsu gave her a terse nod, her name tripping off his tongue in the friendliest tone he could manage, given the inner turmoil he was currently feeling.

"Hello, Lucy."

She reciprocated the movement, her softer feminine voice echoing in the drafty silence of the room. "Natsu."

The lawyer sitting behind the desk looked up when the couple had settled down into the armchairs. As the man droned on about the minute details that they were both already aware of, Lucy found herself casting a sideway glance at the male beside her from under her lashes and a pang of longing struck her heart.

This man, this man sitting beside her was the reason why all her attempted flings for the past months had backfired.

Fleeing her life in Magnolia for a new one in Crocus 12 months ago amidst a wave of despair, hurt and betrayal, the blonde had found herself job-hopping due to her inability to concentrate on anything but the pain in her chest. After three months or so, she had resigned to living off her savings while she hid away in her rental apartment, only emerging to stock up on non-perishables and the basic necessities.

Halfway into the fifth month, Erza and Levy had shown up uninvited at her doorstep in Crocus, both women mortified by the deplorable bog Lucy had sunk herself into.

Nearing the end of month six, they had convinced her to pull herself back together, their efforts aided by the fact that the Strauss sisters ran an advertising company in Crocus and were willing to hire the blonde despite her emotional debilities.

By month eleven, Lucy had started dating again, although that had promptly blown up in her face when she realized she couldn't bring herself to go all the way with the guy, even though she genuinely liked him.

And in the twelfth month, the need to prove herself a changed woman had driven her to the point where the blonde had deliberately hung out late at clubs looking for adventure of a sexual nature. The results were all the same; she had kissed, fondled, stripped but when it came to the final joining of bodies, Lucy had froze and fled.

Mr. Brown-hair-green-eyes, who was also Mr. Failed-lay-number-seven from last night merely proved that she had not yet come to terms with a new man. And all because of the guy now sitting beside her.

As always, she cursed the weakness in her knees when she laid eyes on him. Thank God she was sitting down now. Jelly legs were the last thing she wanted in this situation.

The domestic lawyer sitting across from her cleared his throat, and Lucy realized that he had been staring at her the whole time she had been out of it. Natsu was also waiting patiently, but his eyes were not on her. Instead, they were locked onto the words that slanted across the top of the page before them in a beautiful cursive type.

Official Agreement of Divorce.

His expression seemed to be frozen, and Lucy couldn't blame him, since the words also served to burn a hole in her heart. The pain was instant. Overlooking and detailing clauses across her computer screen 3000 miles away from Magnolia was one thing. Seeing the official document before her now was another thing together.

The lawyer cleared his throat again.

"Ms. Heartfilia, do you agree to the clauses stated in this document? Or do you wish to request for amendments? I must inform you though, if you choose to amend them now, I will need to schedule another meeting with both of you two weeks from now.

"I…"

Her breath was caught in her throat. The younger male beside her didn't acknowledge the older man's words, but she could clearly see his fists trembling slightly where they were pressed against his thighs.

"Ms. Heartfilia?"

"Y-yes. Of course I agree. I've studied them all in minute detail."

"Then please acknowledge here on this piece of paper. I will need your signature, identification number and thumbprint." He slid a custom made fountain pen, a small black inkpad and a standard template divorce document towards her.

Three small, insignificant objects that individually were inconsequential, but together, they would change her life forever.

Lucy drew in a shaky breath as her hand moved to pick up the pen. Uncapping the piece of stationary to reveal a sharp nib, she brought it down towards the document where she was supposed to sign along the dotted line.

Always a dotted line. Why a dotted line? Her hand paused when she found herself thinking that all of a sudden.

"Ms. Heartfilia? It's alright to be nervous. Take your time." The lawyer said in a soothing voice, one no doubt practiced with every couple who came through his door. "Would you like some time to mentally prepare yourself?"

The blonde didn't reply, but instead gave a shaky nod, the pen immediately slipping from between her fingers. The lawyer's eyes widened when he realized that the nib would etch a ghastly line across the clean document but he gave a relieved sigh when Natsu's hand shot out and grabbed the pen before it hit the table.

Lucy visibly startled when the smooth fabric of the male's sleeve brushed across her wrist but if he noticed, he gave no sign. Instead he dragged the sheet of paper towards himself, and after a pregnant pause, lowered the wet nib down and drew out the words "Dragneel, Natsu" across his dotted line in a messy script.

Lucy wanted to laugh. One year later and his terrible handwriting still had yet to improve. It reminded her of all the times he had drafted out grocery lists that she couldn't read. Then anger seeped to the fore of her mind and she dug her nails into her pant leg.

Here she was, deliberating and hesitating over the simple act of signing her name when all he did was pause for a second before filling in his part.

Was divorcing her that easy of a task for him? The idea of it being so caused fury to bubble up within her chest.

That accursed man.

If anyone here deserved to be justified in signing the document, it was her Goddammit! She was the one who had been wronged!

Natsu was just about to press his thumb down onto the paper when the blonde suddenly shot up in her seat. Both men jerked upright, their surprised gazes on her.

"Ms. Heartfilia?"

"Lucy?"

She was breathing hard now, her fair cheeks a mottled red. Slamming her palms down onto the leather surface of the escritoire, she all but ripped the paper out from under her husband's palm. Grabbing the inkpad, she rammed her thumb down on the wet sponge and flattened it against the sheet, leaving a clear imprint of her finger.

"Give me that."

She snapped at the startled male, and snatched the fountain pen out from his hand. She had harshly scribbled her ID, family name and traced out the length of a capital 'L' when her movements were suddenly halted.

Lucy's head jerked up in surprise when she realized that Natsu had his hand clasped over hers in a soft hold. The burning heat from beneath his skin permeated her own flesh and Lucy felt an all too unfair curling of pleasure in her gut.

He was watching her from under half lidded eyes, his dark orbs filled with a mix of strong emotions she didn't dare to identify. She could easily identify, though, the familiar feeling that surged through her when his thumb traced lines on her inner wrist, the tiny movement blocked from the lawyer's curious eyes.

Her heart stuttered when his lips parted and he uttered three simple words.

"I'm sorry, Luce."

Lucy's heart clenched in her chest upon seeing the earnestness in his expression. Something in his gaze made her want to rip up the document and take him on the leather escritoire, lawyer be damned.

That sudden thought sent anger bursting through her again. How dare he make her want him again after all the pain he put her through?!

Gritting her teeth together, Lucy acknowledged his apology with two words of her own. Two words that conveyed all the mixed feelings she felt for her soon to be ex-husband.

She took sadistic satisfaction in the hurt that flashed in his eyes upon hearing her reply.

Natsu slipped his hand off hers and watched in silence as she scribbled the rest of her name, threw the pen at him and whipped away from them.

The blonde was mildly taken aback by the small crowd that had gathered outside the office when she burst through the door. Erza and Levy immediately moved to follow her but she flipped them both off and cursed gruesome deaths on anyone who dared to follow her. She knew that the two girls would no doubt show up uninvited on her doorstep again sooner or later anyway.

Lucy drew her first steady breath only after she heard the deadbolt of her hotel room slide into place. Exhausted beyond belief, Lucy plopped spread eagle down onto the bed when a pattering noise to her left drew her attention. Trickles of water slid down the clear glass of her room window as the skies split open with a summer shower. When she moved to rub the edge of her palm against her tired eyes, that's when she noticed something else.

The inside of her wrist was lined with black ink.

More specifically, it was lined with the black ink that had been left on her skin when her ex-husband had traced his thumb over it. As careless minded as he was, he must not have realized that he was marking her skin.

Sighing in defeat, she padded over to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. A second before the gush of water could hit her skin, the blonde froze. She stood there for a silent moment just staring at the ink blotch before moving to turn off the faucet and walking out of the small bathroom.

Minutes later, she walked back in and turned on the faucet again, watching in silence as the harsh jet of water melted the black off her skin.

* * *

Read and review please.

Thanx.

Faie.


	3. The Fairy Assignment

3: The Fairy Assignment

_7 months later, January the 14__th__. Crocus._

A middle aged redhead popped her head over the cubicle wall that divided the individual work stations, her wide lips spread into a grin.

"Yo, Lucy! And how are you on this beautiful day?"

The blonde glanced up to acknowledge the woman who now loomed over her with a small smile.

"I'm feeling great. Good morning to you too, Mara – san."

"Mou, when are you going to stop being so polite? We're all friends here, aren't we?" Mara whined, her brows creasing downwards as she scratched her head in annoyance.

"Sou ne… Let me try that again. Morning, Mara!" Lucy said, her polite smile spreading out to reveal a perfect set of white teeth.

"Now, isn't that better?" The redhead commented and laughed, her hand reaching over to pat the blonde's head.

"Geez, I'm not a child…"

The redhead merely laughed louder. "To me you are. And you're so adorable! Those wide eyes and pouty cheeks…You remind me of my own daughter. Awww, coochie, coochie coo!"

"And you're an idiot. Now go away and let me finish this before the Demon Lady has my head on a platter." Lucy groaned, swiping the older woman's hand away.

"What a change in attitude, Lucy..."

The woman chuckled, retracting her hand to search for something on her own desk. "Anyway, I've got something here for you from my anniversary trip." She popped back over the cubicle wall with a small keychain sitting in her palm, and Lucy's already large eyes widened further with delight. She cupped her palms, letting the keychain slip from the redhead's fingers and land softly across her fingers.

"Omigosh, that's beautiful. Is that… is that murano glass?"

"Yep. We visited one of the glass making factories and the owner gave us a few of these stones as a surprise gift. We had them made into keychains."

"Oh it's lovely. Thank you, Mara."

"You're welcome, Lucy. I shall leave you be now… Though I doubt you'll be able to concentrate anymore." The woman laughed at the sight of the metal ring looped around Lucy's finger, the blonde's eyes thoroughly fixated on the small stone.

Lucy admired the stone in silent awe, which boasted of a small multi-hued flower garden in its tiny glass body, almost like a patch of anemones in full bloom. Giggling, Lucy poked the stone lightly, her eyes fixated on how the office lights danced across the transparent surface as the stone swung on its chain.

This time, the blonde popped her head over the cubicle wall. "Thanks again, Mara!"

The redhead gave her a friendly salute. "You're welcome, Lucy."

Hanging the keychain on a thumbtack sticking out from the fabric of the cubicle wall, Lucy was just about to get back to her drawings when a second figure popped up at the narrow entranceway to her cubicle. This time, it was a young male with light brown hair who greeted her.

"Yo~ Lucy. Meeting, Aquarius, five."

"Gotcha. Anything in particular that I need to bring along?"

The male winked in an attempt to be lascivious, though the effect was somewhat ruined by his rather effeminate features. "I wouldn't mind if you bring me along as your pet."

Lucy chuckled and waved him away. "Nice one, Eve. How about you try that again after your balls drop?"

"You're so mean as always, Lucy…" He pouted adorably, hugging his MacBook to his chest.

Lucy chuckled sarcastically. "Sorry, I'm just not into the idea of pedophilia."

"I'm not that much younger than you!"

Lucy tucked away the unfinished drawings into an A2 clipboard and grabbed her own laptop as she swept away from her desk, her velvet skater skirt swishing about her bare thighs. Reaching up, she smiled and patted the male's head with one hand like one would a little brother.

"Really? You could have fooled me."

She laughed again when he sulked adorably.

No sooner had she joined the male out on the walkway leading to the conference rooms did the blonde found herself surrounded by two other men, one about her height with fair skin and wavy brown hair, and the other tall, tan and dark.

"Yo, Lucy. Looking beautiful as always."

"Damn you woman, the scent of your shampoo is annoyingly delightful."

Sighing, the blonde nodded distractedly as she flipped through her inbox. No new messages as usual, except for the one from her telephone subscriber about some promotional family package. Lucy deleted that without a second glance. It didn't apply to her anyway.

The group of four came to a stop outside the conference room with a door painted in a beautiful shade of azure blue. Hanging at eye level was a small silver name plate with the word "Aquarius" emblazoned on it in a slanted cursive script. She muttered her thanks when Hibiki took the initiative to open the door for her. Most of the conference room had already filled up, and when the four walked in, the rest of their colleagues glanced up with waves and nods.

Just as Lucy was about to take a seat, the blonde found herself being ushered to the end of the table, where the usual armchair had mysteriously vanished and been replaced with a fancy plush couch that spanned the entire width of the conference table. Before she could react, Hibiki had taken the couch space beside her, Ren had positioned himself behind her, and Eve was offering her a wet towelette and volunteering to take any meeting notes down for her.

Sighing, Lucy was just about to respond when the door opened again and in strode a pair of women.

The one leading was tall, slender and beautiful, with long hair of the darkest purple and brown eyes that appeared almost Oriental in their shape. Her secretary followed closely behind her, a young woman with brown hair that curled at the edges and who had a perpetual catty smirk on her lips.

Instantly, the buzz that had been humming across the room vanished without a trace and all eyes were directed on their leader. The brunette laid a small pile of portfolios down at on the table and whisked herself quickly to one side as her boss took the stand.

Kagura Mikazuchi wasted no time at all.

As soon as the lights in the conference room were flicked off, she whipped out her sleek black clicker and brought the projector to life. The grey screen flashed as a photograph of the city center burst into view, with a single towering steel edifice at the center of the entire scene.

"Crocus. The heart of Fiore. The central hub where three hours ago is yesterday's news and tomorrow is the vogue. What each and every one of you here should have ingrained into your souls by now is that we at BlueHeel E&E always strive to stay three steps above the rest through cutting edge ideas."

Kagura shifted to face her audience, her arms crossing behind her back.

"We set our own standards and we break boundaries. We plan, we execute and we make everything we do the best damn thing there is."

Despite, the fierce look in her eyes, the expressions of the people around the table were ones not of fear, but appreciation and awe.

Kagura continued and flicked to the next slide. The word 'BizCon' flashed into view, stark black text in a sea of white.

"As you all know, the biannual Crocus business convention is coming up at the end of July and we have been contacted by several enterprises to help manage their companies' set ups. All of you will be working in pairs-"

"Do we-"

"No, you _don't_ get to choose. And don't interrupt me again. Each pair will be assigned one company, which means that you lot will be pitted against each other to set up the better installation."

A hand shot up from the left side of the table, and all eyes were drawn towards an overtly plump female with a chubby smile. Her thick black hair was tied up into a pony tail that fluffed around her shoulders.

"Yes, Risley?"

"Sorry, I was just wondering. Since BizCon is usually held in a large convention hall, wouldn't it have been more appropriate if an advertising company be involved in this rather than an event management company?"

Kagura gave her a deadpan look. "Are you afraid that you are not up to the challenge?"

"No, of course not."

"That's good to hear. Yes, usually BizCon deals with advertising companies, but this time the set up has changed. Instead…"

Lucy crossed her legs underneath the table as she slid slightly down the seat, her hair brushing against the smooth leather of the armchair seat. (Yes, armchair. As soon as Kagura had seen the fancy love seat, she had responded with a terse "Shut it down", to which the Trimens had done so without complaints. No one wanted to anger Kagura since she was infamous for having nearly bitten the head off someone for screwing up a presentation.)

The BizCon, huh…

Memories of the event flashed through her mind from when she had been working at Fairy Tail Corp. The BizCon had always been a major event in the lives of every company in Crocus, and although Fairy Tail had been based in Magnolia City, that didn't stop them from attempting to wrangle exhibit spots at the convention. After all, what better opportunity was there for them to simultaneously snare clients and analyze the competition?

Lucy gave an inward chuckle at how their redheaded president would always go ballistic when some aspect of the exhibit wasn't up to par and then she, as secretary, would have to go about finding ways to solve the problem without causing too much dissent amongst the planners. Thank God, she had always had her friends supporting her in the background.

Gray and Levy would help push the female population into action with simple nudges and encouragements, Elfman would pull strings on the logistic side and Na-

The blonde steered her mind away from that train of thought and focused her concentration back on Kagura's presentation. Across the screen now was a list of names of her colleagues matched up to different companies. Lucy easily recognized most of them as major batters here in Crocus. Quatro Cerberus, Sabertooth…

The next thing she realized was that out of everyone here, except for Kagura and Millianna, her name was the only one _not_ on the screen. Instantly, her hand shot up.

"Lucy. You have a question?"

"Yes, sorry. Why do I not see my name matched up to a company? Am I not supposed to participate?"

Kagura pursed her lips for a second before flipping through a cream portfolio.

"Oh yes, I have a special assignment for you. I only asked that you join us in this meeting because it would be more convenient to speak to you afterwards."

"Oh, right. May I ask what my assignment is?"

"Unrelated to what I'm discussing now. I'll brief you after everyone else has left."

Kagura's brown eyes flickered away without a second glance, leaving the blonde slightly annoyed at having been dismissed so quickly and tersely. Next to her, a gorgeous blonde woman turned around to whisper in Lucy's ear.

"You have a secret assignment? How mysteriously interesting."

"It's not fun at all, Jen!" Lucy sunk deeper into her chair, her arms folding together.

"I hate secrets, especially when I have to be kept in suspense. Just thinking about all the work I could have done during this meeting is making me depressed. Not to mention that the trio of idiots wouldn't have been around to bother me…"

"Yes, but-"

"Jenny, you're an important part of this endeavour. Please pay attention to the meeting."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

The other blonde immediately shifted back upright into her seat with a cowed look and Lucy sighed again, her mind once again drifting back to her A2 clipboard awaiting her return.

It wasn't until a half hour later that Kagura drew the meeting to a close, and everyone started filing out of the conference room, each of them already brimming with ideas but unwilling to share them with their colleague/competitors. Within seconds, the only ones left in Room: Aquarius were Lucy, Kagura and the spiffy secretary. Millianna extracted a thin white folder from the pile and laid it down neatly in front of her boss. Lucy shifted herself over to the seat directly next to Kagura as the woman flipped open the folder, refreshed its contents in her mind before sliding the folder towards Lucy.

"In here you'll find everything that you need to know but I will just give you the gist of your assignment now. Please note that this is an important assignment that will help us forge closer relations with Magnolia, so the first thing you must know is that you are not allowed to screw it up. Failure or dissatisfaction on the client's part will absolutely not be tolerated."

Lucy nodded dutifully. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. You are from Magnolia City, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. I only moved to Crocus less than two years ago."

"Fantastic. I assume then, that you are familiar with Fairy Tail Corporation?"

_Shit_.

Lucy instantly knew that she wasn't going to like her assignment in the least and she replied with a hesitant edge to her voice.

"Have I been assigned to work with them?"

"Yes. Your project will last for at least three months, depending on the circumstances over there and whatnot."

_Oh fuck shit._

"I was contacted by the current president of Fairy Tail Corp. three days ago and she requests for BlueHeel to plan and execute an important event for them."

"Important… event?"

"It was announced two months ago that Fairy Tail Corp. has officially entered a partnership with another major hitter in Magnolia."

"Are you referring to the rumoured merger of Fairy Tail Corp. and Lamia Scale Inc.?"

"Yes. In any case, they have already sorted out the petty details behind their partnership. While those details are none of our concern, your first priority will be to discern the power balance between the two leaders of the merged company."

Lucy crossed her legs, the velvet abrading her skin deliciously. "So I am to identify the real power behind the new company first. After all, it wouldn't be ideal to any of us if I start playing to the tune of the figurehead while slighting the one pulling the main strings."

Kagura let out a soft chuckle of approval, her hands clasped together in a confident manner befitting of her position. "It shouldn't be too difficult. Judging from the conversations I have had with Scarlet since, it's pretty obvious she's the dominant player."

Lucy couldn't help laughing. The Erza that she knew would never let anyone, masculine or otherwise, order her around like a puppet, even if their statuses were on par with each other's.

Kagura continued on. "I shortlisted two names for this assignment, yours and Arana Webb's-"

Lucy interrupted even though she knew that the action was akin to preparing her own hangman's rope.

"Then why wasn't Arana selected for this project? She's confident, meticulous and she has good connections. I'm sure she could produce equivalent, or even better, results."

Kagura shot her a look that could quell even the fiercest storm, any vestiges of her previous amusement having been wiped from her slate. "Are you second guessing my decision, Heartfilia?"

"No! It's just that… Fairy Tail and I-"

"I am very much aware of your previous appointment in Fairy Tail as secretary to Scarlet. It is precisely why I am going with you as BlueHeel's ambassador to Magnolia. You know the city in the way only a citizen ever could. You know Fairy Tail, its people and its power play. All you need would be to do the same with Lamia Scale."

Kagura rubbed one finger against her temple where a headache was starting to lurk.

"Arana would be going into unfamiliar territory, and she would have to take twice as long just to acclimatize. While experience-wise, Arana has the advantage, experience is not everything. Sometimes, understanding the client and mutual trust takes precedence, and you already have those trump cards in your deck. Also, you may be fairly new here at BlueHeel, but the results that you have presented so far have been nothing but top grade."

"But…"

"I will not be rescinding my choice, Heartfilia. You don't always get to choose the types of bullets life shoots you with."

"Y-yes, ma'am." Lucy replied, albeit a little sulkily.

"Getting back to the point before you so recklessly interrupted me," Kagura tapped a nail on the cream folder.

"Scarlet contacted me with regards to planning the convocation during which the rest of the companies will officially meet for the first time. It is meant to be an informal event to provide a platform for which the two separate groups of employees can get to know their future colleagues and as such, I expect nothing but fun, games and laughter."

"I understand… Mikazuchi – san?"

"Yes, Lucy?"

"There's… There's really no way I can opt out of this?"

"Is there some mysterious secret prohibiting you from working with Fairy Tail that I am unaware of?"

"Well… Yes…"

"Is it of a personal nature?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Kagura waved a manicured hand carelessly.

"Then shut it down. Five months ago, when you first joined our ranks at BlueHeel, I made it very clear that I do not consider personal matters to be an acceptable mitigating circumstance. Or do you not recall?"

"Yes… I mean, I do remember."

"Well then." The dark haired woman stood up, and Millianna immediately came forward to assist her with the folders.

"I expect to hear stellar results from you, Lucy Heartfilia. Can I count on you to present BlueHeel E&E in nothing but the best image possible?"

"Yes, ma'am. I promise to do my best." Lucy replied, even though she was feeling anything but confident.

Kagura Mikazuchi swept from the room in flurry of black and purple, and her brunette subordinate followed quickly after. Just before Millianna completely vanished from sight though, she whisked back around and hurried quickly to Lucy's side. Her eyes were wide as she clutched onto the startled blonde's hands.

"Good luck, Lucy! I'll be rooting for you. Make sure you make this a spiffy success, ok?"

It was hard saying no to a face like that and Lucy chuckled weakly. "Of course. Thanks, Millianna. I appreciate the support."

"Millianna!" A sharp voice rang out from outside the room.

"Ah! Sorry, I've got to go now. Have fun, Lucy. Oh, and don't forget to bring back souvenirs!" The brunette waved enthusiastically as she disappeared out the doorway.

Fun?

Lucy sighed. Fun was probably going to be the furthest thing from her mind.

* * *

Lucy stripped off her underwear and slipped into the bath, the mix of foam bubbles tickling her bare skin.

"Yeah… Three months or more, she said. Yeah."

"And you were the only one roped into this?"

"Yeah. Another woman was supposed also shortlisted but the Demon Lady was all oh~ experience is not everything blabbity blah blah… Jeez…"

There was a masculine laugh. "That just shows how much your boss holds you in high regard, Lucy."

"Hmm…"

"Think of it this way. You'll be on an all expense paid trip to your hometown plus you'll be bagging back valuable experience. How could your job get any better than this?"

"I don't want to go back home, you know that."

"Yes yes, there's The Accursed and all. Besides, when are you ever going to tell me more about this Accursed? Person, thing or whatever it is?"

Lucy sighed and rested her chin on her fist. "S-sorry… I'm not..."

The male paused for a moment before replying. "That's fine, Lucy. I'll wait till you're ready."

"Thanks, Dan."

"No problem, babe. So when are you leaving?"

"Five days from now. I'm supposed to meet Erza on the 22nd. I want to get myself settled in first before meeting her."

"And does your old boss know that it's you who's coming?"

"Nope. I asked the Demon Lady not to say a word. I don't want the guys at Fairy Tail to make a big fuss over my arrival after all."

He laughed. "So you're just going to show up and say what? Yo, Erza! Guess who's back after seven months?"

"I'll think about it." She giggled, imagining the redhead's flummoxed expression.

"In any case, babe. Have you looked up on accomm there? Are you planning to stay in a hotel the whole time?"

"I haven't really looked up on that yet. I suppose? Or I could try looking for a rental apartment. It might be cheaper."

"Want my help?"

"Hmm?"

"I've friends working property in Magnolia. I can get you hooked up in a suitable place."

"Can you really?" Lucy exclaimed excitedly as she sat up straight in her tub, the water sloshing about her bare breasts.

"Of course. Let's see… One bedroom, a fully furnished kitchen and a living room with a balcony. Do you want to stay near the office or in the suburbs?"

"Near please. I can save on transport then. That sounds absolutely perfect! Oh thank you, Dan! You wonderful, wonderful man." Lucy made a kissing sound with her lips and he chuckled amusedly.

"I'd rather you give me an actual kiss."

"Next time then." She smiled.

"I'll talk to you later, babe. I've got a client coming in now. I'll send you a list of potential apartments asap."

"Sure. Bye bye."

The voice in her ear was replaced with a long beeping tone and Lucy snapped the phone shut, laying it on the cabinet high above her head. The blonde slid deeper into the water until she was submerged at chin level and closed her eyes.

Five more days.

Just five more days.

* * *

As the name says, BlueHeel E&E is basically a combination of Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel with Kagura in the role of CEO. E&E stands for Event and Exhibition.

R&R if you don't mind. Ohohohohho

Faie.


	4. Settling In

4: Settling in

_19__th__ January, Crocus central station. 7pm._

"Oiiii~! Lucy!"

The blonde opened her eyes and she looked up to see a group rushing her way, their feet pounding across the smooth linoleum of the station lobby floor. She sighed, half in exasperation, half in delight, as she stood up and smoothened out her dress. Sitting beside her was a tall, lean male with brown hair and a friendly smile who waved at the approaching group.

The blonde propped her hands onto her hips.

"Finally! You guys are finally here. I was wondering if I should just board early instead of waiting for you bunch of turtles."

Mara rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, we met with some... An unexpected complication."

"Huh?"

Mara jabbed her thumb at the three men beside her.

"You can blame these three. When we were leaving the office, we bumped into the new receptionist."

An image of a young brunette with forest green eyes popped into Lucy's mind and she sighed as the redhead continued poking angry jabs at the males behind her.

"I told you we were going to be late, and what did you do? Whip out the roses? The champagne? Idiots! Lucy, feel free to hit them as hard as you want."

The redhead at the trio. Eve was blinking up at the older woman, Ren had turned away to glare at the ground and Hibiki was chuckling awkwardly. The two women startled when the trio suddenly brought their feet together and affected a debonair bow in unison.

"Please forgive us, Lucy!"

The blonde cringed and raised her palms in defense. "Ah-h-haha… that's fine. At least you guys made it in time."

"Oh?" Mara poked her head around the blonde. "Hi Dan!"

"Hey, Mara. Long time no see. You guys are here to send Lucy off too?"

The four nodded excitedly. Well, the threesome. Ren was still glaring at the ground, mumbling something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Well, it's not like I'm here especially for Lucy… I just had some free time to kill…"

Eve's eyes brimmed with sparkling tears as he hurled himself at the blonde, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he buried his face in her shoulder.

"Lucy! I can't believe you're going for three months. What am I going to do at work without you?!"

"Uh… your job? Yosh yosh, don't cry all over my new dress. Geez…" The blonde sweat dropped and patted his head like she would a puppy.

The group of six headed over to a nearby café where they ordered drinks and basically assailed the blonde with requests for specific types of souvenirs until they heard an announcement booming from the speakers.

"The train to Magnolia City will be departing in 20 minutes time. All passengers please board now. This is the final call. All passengers please board now."

Lucy sighed and sat up, her heels clicking on the smooth floor. She pulled up the handles to her suitcases with a clicking sound and dragged the bags forward.

"Well. I guess that's it. I'll see you guys in three months."

Shouting instantly blasted her eardrums as her colleagues wailed out her name, reaching out their arms at the blonde, who froze on the spot. Dan dragged her suitcases towards himself laughing, and he patted her shoulder.

"We'll miss you!"

"Lucy!"

"Bring us back snacks you hear? You owe me for that keychain!"

Lucy waved her phone, the murano glass dangling on a keychain. "Wasn't this a souvenir from the goodness of your heart?!" She flustered at the redhead, who laughed.

"You wish!"

The blonde dragged her heavy bags up the step of the train carriage, where a porter moved to take it from her and bring it to her seat. Before she could board too, Lucy gasped when someone suddenly pulled her backwards roughly and she was folded tightly against the chest of a masculine body.

"D-Dan!"

"I'll miss you. So very much."

"Yeah… I know. I'll miss you too."

"Call me when you reach the house?"

"Of course. Thank you again, by the way, for helping me find such a wonderful place."

His arms tightened around her and he buried his face in her sweet – smelling hair.

"No problem. I'll try to find time to go over and meet you. God knows I'm swamped in work right now."

She moved herself out from his embrace slowly. "I understand. I'll see you soon, Dan."

"Lucy."

The brunette closed his eyes and leaned in to give her a goodbye kiss on her lips but the blonde suddenly whipped her head around when a porter tapped on her shoulder lightly from behind. Dan's eyes widened when his mouth brushed past her hair, the strands whipping against his face.

"I apologize for the interruption, Miss, but you have to board now."

"R-right! I'm sorry."

She caught sight of Dan's longing face when she turned back around. She gave a small smile and leaned upwards to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "See you, Dan."

The five (four, minus Ren) watched, waved and shouted terms of endearment as the blonde's figure disappeared into the carriage, and her head popped up in the small window next to her seat, where she continued to wave exuberantly till after they were out of sight. Sitting back in the soft, cushioned bench, Lucy sighed and looked out the window at the dim reds and yellows that coloured the dusk sky.

With each turn of the wheels, the train brought her further and further away from her life in Crocus, and inexorably nearer towards the life she had left behind with the signing of that paper.

* * *

_20__th__ January, Magnolia city. Fairy Tail Corp._

"Listen up, people."

The buzz of gossip in the steel and glass conference room died down as Erza Scarlet greeted her audience. Beside her stood an imposingly tall male with broad shoulders, a bald head and a neat goatee lining his chin. His arms were folded against the front of his smart grey suit as he stared impassively at the people sitting around the large table.

"Two days from now, there will be someone from BlueHeel Events & Exhibition coming down to meet me. They'll be in charge of planning the official meet and greet event between the employees of Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale. As of yet, I do not know who we'll be working with, only that it will be a female and she is supposedly one of the best BlueHeel has to offer."

Erza directed her brown eyes around the table, making sure that she had the attention of everyone present.

"As the Heads of the different departments in Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale, I expect, _we_ expect" She gestured toward Jura, "that all of you will do your best in accommodating our guest in making sure that she feels at home. If she has any enquiries, we hope that you will all give her the respect that she deserves. After all, she'll be working with all of us here in Magnolia for at last three months, depending on how the planning goes. Now, any questions?"

A hand at the back of the room shot up. "Yeah. I'm hungry! When do we break for lunch?"

"Not a valid question. Next."

"But Erza-!"

"In the office, you will address me as Ms. Scarlet, not Erza. Do you understand, _Mr. Dragneel_?"

"Y-yes. Hmph." The male folded his arms and tucked his chin into the folds of the white scarf.

"Ha. Too bad."

"Do you have a question too, Mr. Fullbuster? It had better not be about where your clothes have gone to." Erza arched a brown at the dark haired male.

"Huh? My clothes? Gyaaaa!" Gray looked down and flung his arms to the side, narrowly hitting the two males sitting on either side of him.

"Shit shit shit! Where did my shirt go?!"

Natsu quirked a grin at him. "You sure you didn't throw it somewhere around here?"

"I've got to find it!" The male freaked.

Gasps of shock and surprise rang out across the room when the half naked man suddenly slid off his chair and disappeared under the large rectangular desk. The women shrieked and pulled up their legs, some darted off their chairs and pressed themselves against the walls of the room. The men cursed and rolled themselves backwards, and cursed even louder when they ran over each other's feet in the mess.

Natsu and Gajeel were had rolled their chairs to the corner and were clutching their guts with laughter. Juvia stood beside them, her eyes wide and unblinking as she watched the earlier peace in the room descend quickly into chaos.

A sudden thought occurred to her and Juvia hurriedly slid off her stilettos. Behind her, the eyes of a shorter blunette widened as she watched Juvia's skirt disappear under the desk too. Over the shrieks and laughter in the room, Gray's voice rang out loudly.

"Gyaaaa! Juvia! What are you under here?!"

"Juvia wants to spend some private time with Gray – sama under the desk! It's so dark and cosy! Ahhh~ How lovely!"

"Get away from me!"

Gajeel elbowed the male beside him.

"Oi, Salamander. You were there, weren't you? I saw you standing beside the stripping idiot when his shirt came off. Where'd he throw it to?"

Natsu merely clutched his gut harder and stood up in his seat, his hand reaching below his legs. He grinned widely at his friend, as he held up a white shirt crumpled and creased beyond repair.

"Right here. God, it's so funny h- Ouch, what the hell?!"

"You idiot! Give me that!"

Natsu rubbed his sore head as Erza glared down at him, clutching the stolen piece of clothing. The redhead turned and fumed at the table surface. "Juvia, Gray! Get out here now!"

"But I haven't-"

"Your shirt is here with me, get out from under the table before you two embarrass yourselves any further!"

Erza still had on a furious expression as the pair crawled dutifully into sight, and Gray took the shirt from her hands, his eyes widening in horror.

"Geeeh! What the fuck happened to it?!"

Erza didn't reply, but her eyes flicked towards the male behind her, who instantly "Eep-ed!"

"Flame head! I should have known!" Gray lunged towards the guy but was halted with a sudden punch to the gut. Gagging, the male flopped lifelessly over Erza's arm out cold.

"Gray – sama!"

"Juvia, put your shoes back on!"

"Ha-hai! Erza – san!"

"Mou…" Erza rubbed her temple and sighed. "Can't you guys just let me have _one_ normal meeting? We even have our important friends from Lamia Scale with us today."

She turned to look at Jura and the other department head from Lamia Scale. "I am really, really sorry you guys had to witness that. As you can see, my people from Fairy Tail tend to be… overly energetic."

The large male waved a hand. "It's fine, Erza – san. It's good to see that the younger generation is bursting with life. Besides, Lamia Scale is also known for its exube- Chelia!"

"Lyon! What are you doing!" The pint sized pink haired female had shot up in her seat and was shouting across the table.

Juvia was sitting on the edge of the table with an extremely surprised look on her face as a silver haired male held up her left leg by the calf. In his other hand, he had one of her stilettos.

"Sa sa. Juvia. Let me put on your shoes for you." Lyon Vastia smiled gently as he looked up into her face.

"Uh… uh… Juvia doesn't…"

"Oi, Lyon! Let go of our member! Just because we are now working together doesn't mean you get to harass our women!"

"Harass? Not don't be ridiculous, Gray. This is merely the act of a true gentleman. Now, Juvia. Your other leg please."

"Uh… Lyon – sama…"

Erza smacked her palm against her face. Looks like they still had a lot of work ahead of them. The redhead only hoped that whoever BlueHeel was sending to them would have enough tenacity and strength of will to survive the project.

* * *

It was evening by the time Lucy Heartfilia rolled her suitcases up to the curb of her new apartment building. The building Dan had managed to find for her was barely three streets away from Fairy Tail Corp; she could easily walk there in ten minutes, tops.

It was a charming brownstone set in 18th century architecture with fresh bougainvillea lining the low border walls and the neighbourhood was better that she could ask for. Cafés to her left, and spas to her right. Lucy instantly spotted the bistro further down the street that she loved to frequent during her lunch breaks when she still lived in Magnolia.

Taking the lift up to the fourth level, she rolled her bags across the shiny parquet floor and came to a stop in front of the last door in the hallway. Her heart was beating widely as Lucy turned the key in the lock and stepped in and her eyes instantly widened in delight.

The place was even better than it had looked in the photos.

The apartment wasn't big, but it was perfect for a single person. The living room was furnished in browns and yellows, lending the room a cosy, wood – cabin feel. There was a small gated fire place against the wall. Perpendicular to the fireplace was a stretch of clear glass that opened over the street. Cream lacy curtains were tied up with neat bows to the other side of the glass.

Lucy dropped her bags and dashed to see the rest of the house. The kitchen, as Dan had promised, was fully equipped with two stoves, an oven, and a microwave. There was a small steel table at the corner, the tabletop and single leg embellished with flowers and vines woven from metal. Two chairs stood around it.

There was also a wall – length fridge which was sadly, empty. Lucy made a mental note to stock up later.

The bedroom boasted of a private toilet with a white marble sink and gleaming tub. The bed was a four poster and was already lain over with ivory cotton sheets.

The blonde sank herself into the soft mattress and sighed in delight. It was such a wonderful change, after almost a full day of sitting upright on the train with a growing neck crick.

She washed up quickly and unpacked most of her clothing into the cupboard, which was thankfully, large enough to accommodate her wardrobe and still have space to spare. Which wasn't a good sign, since it meant that Lucy would be free to (buy and) put more stuff in. At least she had an allowance from the company. Magnolia was known for its foodie and fashion delights.

The blonde had a delightful, albeit lonely, dinner at her favourite bistro, and she ordered some cakes to go for her first night back home. A sign on the top of the cake glass display caught her eye and she laughed out loud.

The shop had a new cake design. It was a triple layer strawberry sponge, with copious amounts of fresh strawberry jam between in each layer. The top of the cake was lined with strawberry slices, and the design was called "The Scarlet".

Lucy wondered if her old boss knew she had a cake christened after her.

Adjusting the bags of groceries in her hands, Lucy headed back to the apartment and unpacked everything.

"Eh, let's see. Clothing. Check. Toiletries. Check. Food… Check. I guess I should call Dan now."

She glanced at the clock. 9:30pm in Magnolia, which meant that it was 7pm in Crocus. He should be having his dinner now…

"Oh well, I'll call him later to thank him again. Gods, this place is amazing! I can't believe he managed to get such a steal…"

The memory of Dan leaning in towards her yesterday popped into her mind again and Lucy felt a tiny pang of guilt. She knew that she had disappointed him when she had kissed him goodbye on the cheek. The man had been nothing but patient and accepting of her secrets and emotional trauma, even though she had not told him anything.

He sometimes waited for her after work just to drive her home, even though their houses were on the opposite ends of Crocus.

He bought meals over to her house on weekends and when she didn't like what he'd chosen, he's swap with her with no questions asked.

He was obviously a virile man in his prime, with God knows how many females lusting after him, and yet he had made it clear that Lucy was the only one he was interested in.

And despite all that, Lucy had never let him go further than a kiss on the lips and fully clothed cuddling.

She made a mental promise that the next time she saw him, she would… what? Have sex with the guy? As grateful as she was towards Dan, sex was… off the plate. At least for now. The memories of all her failed flings prior to her divorce was still fresh in her mind. She couldn't bear to lead Dan along, only to roughly kick him away when she freaked out again.

Lucy was halfway through her chocolate mousse and the 11pm episode of "Fringe" when she heard a commotion coming from the corridor outside. Sounded like people laughing.

Setting down her plate, she slipped her feet into soft furry slippers and padded over to the door, peering through the peephole.

Nothing.

She flipped the padlocks and swung the door open, and the blonde caught side of two people standing just behind the bend of the hallway. There was a tall male with dark red hair and judging from his profile, he was at least in his mid-forties. Not that that made his looks any less attractive though.

Next to him was a slightly shorter male. He was lean but obviously well built.

Lucy couldn't make out any of his other features since the guy was wearing full length workout pants. His hoodie was black and red with a pattern of burning flames lining the edges of the cloth. The hood was up, completely masking his profile and hair. He had both his hands thrust into the front pocket such that pretty much every inch of his body was covered up except for the tip of his nose.

She watched as the older male wave goodbye at his companion and turn to enter the lift, heading back down and out of the building.

The second mysterious guy stood there for a moment before heading down the corridor towards her. Lucy gasped and quickly shut the front door, though her eye remained glued to the peephole.

The male stopped in front of the apartment directly in front of hers and retrieved a set of keys from his pocket before disappearing into the house. She had a glimpse of the messy living room before the door closed fully. Typical mess of a bachelor's pad.

Lucy released a breath that she hadn't even realized that she had been holding in.

A bachelor, huh? The blonde found herself wondering what he looked like under that hood only to gasp. She lightly patted her cheeks in admonishment.

Geez, c'mon Lucy. First night here and already spying on the neighbours? You really need to get a social life, or a hobby.

The blonde highly doubted that she would have time for either here in Magnolia though. The faster she finished the project, the faster she could return to the safe haven that was her life in Crocus.

* * *

I apologize for any typos or whatnot. I really shouldn't be writing when I have shitloads of essays but I can't help myself!

It's a damned shame that I have no good looking neighbours myself to spy on... meh. But... flame patterned clothing? OHOHOHOHO!

Now, won't you lovelies be a dear and review?

Faie.


	5. Erza and Lucy

5: Erza and Lucy

Lucy gave her laptop screen a cursory glance, her amber eyes taking in the image of the small digital clock ticking away in its private corner.

1:10pm. Ten minutes to go till the meeting.

Just ten more minutes.

Ten… more…

A sudden gloom that was all too incongruous with the ambience in the sunlit chamber of the café fell across her face at the implication of what was to come in ten minutes. The blonde clutched tightly onto the woven armrests of her rattan chair, as she steeled her resolve against fleeing the confines of the café. What had happened to the rest of the two hour buffer she had taken to mentally prepare herself? When had the minutes eluded her?

Time passed quickly when one wasn't looking, but it tend to disappear even faster when one didn't want it to go.

The blonde sighed and laid her head against the glass wall next to her spot in the busy café. The chair creaked slightly when she laid her elbow on the armrest and on her fist, her chin, as she took in the sights of the day flurrying past her in all its lunch hour madness.

The streets were alive and bustling with activity as people thronged the roads and shops in their attempts to beat the rest of the crowd. As the green to-go signal for traffic blinked into sight, disgruntled drivers slammed out staccato honks when a congregation of suits suddenly flew past in front of them, waving and grinning as they dashed across the tarmac pavement. The slowest female, a small woman with stunningly pink hair, caught Lucy's eye and the blonde arched a brow at the footwear that was adorning the woman's feet, or more specifically, the height of her footwear.

Talk about over-compensation.

She picked at her chocolate mousse cake distractedly. When the metal tines of her fork screeched along bare porcelain, Lucy looked down in surprise only to realize that the chinaware was almost empty.

Damn it, when had that happened? The blonde vaguely remembered hastily shoving large chunks into her mouth during her most recent mental breakdown, something that had been occurring with increasing frequency for the past two days. They had all led up to this day, and just before the fateful reunion, she just _had_ to run out of cake.

Unfortunately for Lucy, her heated inner debate over getting more cake versus getting (wasting) more time on the treadmill was cut short when the bell on the door tinkled and in strode a tall female suit.

Attractive, with gleaming red hair that cascaded down to waist level, she boasted a figure that would have made most other women go green. In this case though, this particular woman made Lucy Heartfilia go pale, and the blonde gulped as she shrank further down into her seat. If anything, that tiny action drew the woman's gaze towards the blonde and Lucy bit her lip as she watched Erza's Scarlet's face widen with shock.

"L-Lu…?" The redhead raised a finger that shook in the blonde's direction.

Lucy gave a tiny wave of just her hand, her elbow still tucked firmly against her chest. "He-hello Erza…"

Erza dashed over and she grabbed the blonde around her head, effectively squishing her against her suit lapel.

"Lucy!"

"Arg... C-ca-"

"Why did you disappear so suddenly?"

"I ca-can-"

"Sorry?"

Lucy popped her head free from Erza's chest and greedily took in a few gulps of air. "I can't breathe!"

"Oh… Sorry." Erza held her at arm's length. "It's been so long though… What happened to you aft-"

"First things first, Erza! I-We need cake!" Lucy gushed out, nervous at where the conversation seemed to be headed.

Five minutes later saw both women settled into the comfy rattan chairs as Lucy dug into her second slice of mousse. Opposite her, her companion was nibbling delicately on a slice of "The Scarlet" when Erza's fork suddenly clattered down onto the shiny surface of the plate.

"Erza?"

"I just remembered... Sorry, but I can't stay. Maybe we co-"

The blond touched fingers lightly to Erza's black sleeve. "Sit down, please."

"Lucy?"

"Erza, I… I'm the one who told you to come here."

"But I'm here to meet with someone named Ash- "

"Ashley_L. That's me."

"You…? But she and I are supposed to discu… Wait. You're saying that… _You're_ the event planner from BlueHeel?"

"Guilty as charged. So… Ta – daa! How have you been, Erza?" The blonde laughed weakly.

"I see. It's you…" Erza clutched her face in a palm as her eyes squeezed shut and her forehead creased in concentration. A few minutes ticked past as Lucy watched the woman silently process the new info.

"Er-"

"That's where you went then? When you quit Strauss Adverts nine months ago?"

"Seven months," the blonde corrected. "Yes. I joined BlueHeel aft-"

"Why…?"

"Sorry?"

Erza's brown eyes narrowed as she watched Lucy with a serious expression, her earlier levity vanished. "Why did you leave Strauss Adverts?"

Uncomfortable under the gaze that had left so many men quivering with respect at Scarlet's feet, Lucy shifted her gaze to her half-eaten slice of cake.

"I just… I needed some space."

"Space? Lucy, you changed your address, contact numbers and shut down your email accounts. No one knew how to find you! I understand that the… situation then was traumatic for you… It was too for all of us… But did you have to shut Levy and I out too?"

"Er-"

Erza suddenly grabbed her hand in both of us.

"Lucy. Did you ever stop to think about how we would feel? Knowing that you were out there, not even a day away by plane, and you were alone and that you were suffering by yourself? Then there's us back here in Magnolia…"

Erza's voiced hitched for a moment but she quickly recovered.

"Us… who call ourselves your best friends yet we don't even know how to begin looking for you. Did you know that Mirajane and Lisanna would call almost every day asking where you had disappeared to after your sudden resignation? And… I can never answer them. Do you know how _frustrating_ that is?"

"Erza…"

"Lucy… Have you ever stopped to consider how _scared _we could be? Levy and I… and everyone else. You could have at least wrote to let us know that you were coping. Or call us… o-or even send us one text message! How long does it take for you to send one text message? One minute."

Lucy's eyes widened when she realized that the two hands that were clasped around her own were shaking. The movements were barely visible but she could feel it with every cell in her fingers. The redhead was hunched over, her fringe falling over her face but it didn't take an expert to guess that Erza was hiding something other than her eyes under her hair.

"One minute… One _damned_ minute…" Erza's voice was quivering slightly, as were her shoulders.

Wordlessly, the blonde handed Erza a napkin. The redhead accepted it with a mumbled thanks but simply held it in a clutched fist. Lucy's amber gaze fell to where Erza still had her fingers wrapped around her hand.

"I'm sorry..."

"…"

"I am sorry for cutting you guys off. I ... I wasn't thinking straight."

"…"

"I… Well… I remember wanting to leave everything behind… and start a new life. New home, new job, new everything…"

Lucy paused for a moment before continuing. "I guess I kind of thought I could make new friends too, and I have, but…"

"… But?"

"Erza… I missed you guys. I missed you so badly. The more I forced myself to pull away, the more I wanted back in. You have no idea how many hours I have spent writing letters to each and every one of you."

"Then why didn't yo-"

"Because it hurt, Erza." Lucy let out a tiny sob.

"Every time I thought of Magnolia, and Fairy Tail and all of you guys, I'd feel so happy. And… and all I wanted was to abandon my life in Crocus and fly back to your side… but then I'd always end up thinking of him again. And I'd get frustrated... and I'd destroy all the letters and texts before I could send them."

Lucy's own hands were shaking slightly now. Erza must have felt it since the redhead tightened her grip on Lucy's hand, to which the blonde gave a tiny grateful smile. Both women sat in silence as another five minutes of activity continued buzzing around them. Lucy broke the silence first.

"Thank you, though…"

"What for?"

"For… For hugging me like we were still friends."

Erza laughed softly and lifted a hand to stroke her blonde hair.

"We _are_ friends. You and Levy, you two are the precious little sisters I never had. Distancing yourself won't ever change the fact that I love you two."

Erza shifted her chair so that they were sitting side by side.

"While… while it wasn't very nice of you to cut us off indiscriminately, I understand that you were in a very bad place and that you needed time to get over it. Fairy Tail reminds you of the life that you had, I know that. I get why you wanted to cut that link… but no matter what you do to us, we will never abandon you…"

"Erza…"

"Lucy, most of us at Fairy Tail are orphans who have been abandoned by our families and that's why… that's why our friends mean so much to us. We're more than friends. We're _family_, Lucy. And this family will never leave one of their own alone, especially when they're hurting. And that's why… You can push us away and drop us cold, but we will never stop trying to find you. "

Lucy's voice hitched. "Erza, I-"

"We're family." Erza chuckled softly as she dabbed at the single tear rolling down the blonde's face. "Geez… Don't cry. Wasn't this napkin meant for me?"

As soon as the tear was wiped away, more started streaming down the blonde's mottled cheeks and before she could help it, Lucy wailed and flung her arms around the redhead's shoulders as she sobbed into Erza's designer suit. Not that the redhead noticed. Erza merely stroked the blonde's hair, a gentle smile on her face.

"Why are you crying?"

"Tha-that's cause I thought… I thought that you'd all hate me!" Lucy's voice was hurried and garbled as she choked out her reply. "Since I found out ab-about this project, I… I've been… been so scared about seeing you guys again after I…"

"Silly girl. Why would I hate you when you're the one who's hurting? I do hate that you made yourself disappear though."

"I… I'm sorry about that…"

"Yosh yosh… Don't cry now."

Erza gently eased the blonde away so that she could look at Lucy's face. A single line of wetness traced the fair skin of the redhead's own cheeks as she caressed Lucy's face.

"The Lucy I know and remember is a strong woman who can take on the world, tears don't suit her."

Lucy gave a watery chuckle. "I could say the same of you, Erza."

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Erza's cheeks flushed. "I'm not crying."

"You so are!" Lucy laughed and poked at the wet stream under Erza's brown orbs.

Erza slapped her friend's hand away, flustered. "I-I'm not crying! The reason my vision is blurry is because… because you're the one crying! You're crying too much… stop it!"

"That doesn't even make sense, Erza!"

"Sh-shut up!"

Gulping loudly, Erza pushed the blonde away and quickly picked up her forgotten slice of cake. With shaky hands, she stuffed a larger than usual chunk into her mouth, chewing quickly.

Lucy smiled gratefully at the sight of her embarrassed friend and picked up her own cake, though she merely stared at it, silently taking in the shiny body of metal lying patiently next to a generous serving of chocolate deliciousness.

"Thank you…Erza."

"You're welcome… Lucy. And welcome back to Magnolia."

"Hai… Tadaima."

* * *

I just needed to write that scene. Erza has always been kind of the protective mother hen figure to me. Even though she bears down like a dominatrix in armour, she's feminine and caring and… and having her cry, even just that single tear, is kind of like watching the staid and strong Riza Hawkeye shed tears. Uwaugh, that scene was _haunting_.

Short, and things kind of escalated quickly… but I'm sure that won't stop you guys from reveiwing… Riiiiigghhtt? Hahahaha!

Till chappie 6.

Faie. Out.


	6. A constipating old woman

6: A constipating old woman

"You're not serious, right?"

"Sorry."

"You're… you're fucking serious, about this?"

"Unfortunately, I am."

"What happened to Toshui – san?"

"I told you, he resigned a month ago. He and his family have relocated to the country for his convalescence."

"Oh, you are fucking kidding me! God, I should have kicked up a bigger fuss about this assignment."

Erza Scarlet arched an eyebrow. "And maybe you should have not asked Mikazuchi – san to keep mum about your identity. At least then you would have been able to have a stronger case on your side."

"Yes, well... Oh good Gods! Of all people, I have to work with him?"

Erza took a small sip from her coffee

"You're the one who specified in your email that you would be working with the HR Managers."

"It would only be logical to. Now I am _seriously_ reconsidering my decision." Lucy sighed as she cupped her chin with a palm.

"You want to change your team for this assignment?"

"I want to change my entire assignment. I…" The blonde sat back in her chair, her face buried in a palm. When she dropped her hand, Erza was rather taken aback by the pained look in her friend's amber eyes. Lucy suddenly pushed her chair back and stood up, dusting her skirt off roughly more out of annoyance than habit. "I am… really sorry, Erza, but I don't think I can handle this assignment."

"I see."

The redhead sat the teacup down gently, and there was a soft clinking sound as the two porcelain bodies made contact. Standing up, she moved around to the blonde's side of the table and without asking for permission, wrapped her arms around Lucy's shoulders.

"I'll understand if you decide to go back. Shall I intercede on your behalf to Mikazuchi – san?"

"No. I'll speak to her myself. It's my problem to deal with anyway."

"Ok, then. Will you update me, Lucy? I know Mikazuchi – san will send me a formal notice but I'd still like to hear the final decision from you. If possible, I'd want to send you off too."

"Erz-"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you're back. Not if you're not planning to stay."

"Thank you." Lucy tightened her grip around her friend's shoulders, burying her face in the taller woman's shoulders. The blonde was wearing a soft smile on her face when she released her embrace.

"You're welcome. Remember, when you leave, tell me. I want to know your new contact numbers.

"Bu-"

"I promise not to tell anyone else. You're not pulling another disappearing act and I'm not satisfied with just knowing where you work."

"Since when did you become so stalker like, Erza?" Lucy chuckled amusedly.

"Who's fau-"

"Hold on." Lucy whipped out her mobile and tapped the screen softly a couple of times. Seconds later, a jazzy tune rang out from Erza's pocket, causing the redhead to take out her own mobile. Lucy grinned and tapped on the number flashing across Erza's mobile screen.

"I just gave you a missed call… and I don't mind if you tell Levy. I could always do it myself though."

"You kept our numbers?" Erza blurted out, surprised.

"Yes… I'd say that I kept them for old time's sake, but that would be a lie. I could never bring myself to delete them." Lucy sighed as she twirled her mobile between her fingers.

"Nice to hear you still bear affection towards some of us." Erza smiled, though that suddenly turned downwards into a frown as she cast her brown eyed gaze behind the blonde.

"Damn."

"Erza?"

Without warning, Erza grabbed Lucy's things in one hand, and with the other, quickly guided the blonde woman towards the back of the café. Lucy gasped when her bag and open laptop were unceremoniously shoved into her arms, and she nearly dropped them.

"Erz, what's going on?"

"Lucy, into the washroom."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it." The redhead replied sharply as she gave her a friend a not-so-gentle shove through the wooden door that divided the restroom from the rest of the dining area. The blonde stumbled slightly, but thankfully didn't trip, else her laptop would have taken a nosedive into the open toilet bowl. A second before the door could fully close, a loud cheeky voice rang out from inside the café.

"Oh! Erza! You're here early! Couldn't wait for your daily dose of cake, you addict?"

It was funny how just the sound of his voice could cause Lucy's heart to leap into her throat and her eyes to bulge.

"Oi, charcoal brain! You looking to get hit by Erza?"

"It was just a joke." Natsu grumbled as he plopped down onto the seat opposite Erza's, the same one a certain blonde had just recently vacated. "Erza… you had company?"

"What? What makes you say that?"

"There's a half eaten slice of chocolate cake here…" Natsu pointed out, his voice curious. "Sorry, did we interrupt you and your friend?"

Erza's eyes widened slightly and she grabbed the plate, quickly bringing it to the counter. The redhead tersely instructed the staff to pack the remaining slice into a box before she strode back, laughing awkwardly. "Yeah, that belongs to a… friend of mine. She had to leave suddenly… for something."

"Sou ka? Anyway, let's just get some grub already, I'm starving!"

"You're always hungry, you pig."

"Shut it. Unlike some porn star, I don't get homemade bento from their personal stalkers."

"It's not like I'm asking Juvia to prepare them for me. And she just drops them off at my table so I don't have a chance to reject them."

"Pfftt. It's free food, why reject them? I bet lots of loooove goes into your bento, I noticed a heart-shaped omelette the other day."

"You d…"

Barely five meters away, Lucy had one side of her face pressed up against the wooden restroom door, her heart halfway up her throat as she listened to the sound of the males' voice fading.

A full minute passed after their voices had faded from earshot, and the blonde heaved a loud sigh of relief as she pressed a hand to her chest. Thank G-

"Fuck, I gotta pee. Oi, porn star. Don't you dare steal my turkey sub while I'm gone."

"Who'd want to steal your damned lunch? You splattered half a bottle of Tabasco on the ham."

"Whatever. Don't touch it!"

"Yeah yeah…"

The breath that she had been halfway through releasing was suddenly sucked back into her throat and Lucy's heartbeat shot off again like a bullet train out of control. The blonde took a quivering step away from the door as her fear-enhanced hearing picked up clearly each nearing footstep towards her current hiding location. It certainly didn't help that the wooden toilet door had a shutter design, and her large amber eyes were now fully aware of a pair of men's black trousers striding her way between the wooden blades inclined downwards.

Now, one might think that a simple solution to her current predicament was to simply hide out in the female toilet stall, where she would be ensured privacy till the imminent danger had passed. Unfortunately for Lucy, this café wasn't very big, and its restroom was of a unisex nature, with only one toilet stall and one sink equipped.

Which meant that she had two choices.

Choice one, flee the scene before the male could react. Unfortunately for her, this scenario wasn't panning out in her mind very well, since Natsu was by far the faster runner. As soon as she left the cubicle, he would see her, and there was no telling if he might decide to chase her.

Choice two, she continues to hide in the small cubicle, stubbornly ignoring the male's presence outside. She knew full well that Natsu hated waiting for anything, which would then lead to two different options for him. First, he bangs the door shouting for 'rude people to get out of the toilet' and second, that he simply walk away and waited till she exited.

Which would, of course lead back to choice number one.

Just in case she needed to make a quick escape, Lucy hurriedly stuffed her laptop into her bag and slung the bag over her shoulder securely.

Gods! Why on Earthland had she decided to pick a café so close to the office?!

_Damn their decadently sinful triple chocolate layered mousse with rocher cream! _The blonde had always been a sucker for chocolate.

She jumped and clapped her hand against her mouth, effectively muffling her gasp when there was a knocking sound on the door.

"Anyone there?"

"…!"

"Hello…?"

"…"

"Weird."

Lucy gasped against her palm again when the door handle jangled loudly. Thankfully she had remembered to lock the door, else she would have busted by now. Her chest was heaving in fear and a bead of sweat trickled down from her temple, coming to a rest on the curve of her cheek. Fuck, now what?! She couldn't move from this spot, she couldn't escape!

Gray Fullbuster's voice rang out in the background. "Oi, flame brain! What are you doing?"

"Dude… This door seems to be stuck."

"Are you sure it's not just locked?"

"I've been calling out. No one's inside."

"You want my help?"

_No, God. Please no… Not Gray too!_

"Nah, I'm good. Just need to…"

The lock jiggled roughly again, and Lucy took another step back, the back of her knees bumping into the edge of the toilet bowl. Where the hell was Erza?! Erza knew where she was hiding, surely by now she would be attempting to dissuade the pink haired male from taking a leak!

The handle jiggled against the lock again.

"Damn, stupid lock…"

_Yes! Thank you door lock for holding out on me!_

But shit… If her redheaded friend wasn't available to help her, Lucy was just going to have to do something herself. She was twenty – five and she was a damned good – looking female. She'd been chasing off male creepers by herself for years now! This situation wasn't going to get her down!

_This had better work…_

Lucy pressed the fingers of one hand against her throat and said, in as gravelly a voice she could, "Young man! Don't interrupt me!"

A trouser leg backed away from the door. "Wh- Oh, sorry. I didn't know…"

"Can't an old lady work through her constipation in peace? _Teenagers_ nowadays…"

She could almost hear the gagging sound outside, and she snickered inwardly. Natsu Dragneel hated many things, Gray and Gajeel being two of them. But the one that topped the grand list was the talk of crap, _especially_ when he was about to have any kind of meal.

"Now, are you going or not?! I'm about to let loose a big one!" Lucy pressed her other fist against her lips and released a quick burst of air through her lips, imitating a farting sound.

"I-I'm gone! Sorry to bother!"

The trousers legs disappeared so quickly from view that she could swear the man had basically sprinted off in fear.

Lucy couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, though she muffled it as much as she could. Now all she had to do was wait till the group left the café before she made her grand escape. It wouldn't be hard to know when they had gone; the two males were laughing rather raucously.

Damn, this was sounding kind of exciting… even though a public restroom wasn't a particularly desirable place to be hiding out in.

There was a sudden soft knock on the door, and the blonde tensed again. Damn it, could an old lady not shit in peace in Magnolia anymore?!

The new voice that rang out was soft, feminine, caring and all too familiar. "Would you like some gastric medicine? If you're not feeling well, it might help."

Before she could react appropriately (and by appropriately, she meant imitating an old lady's gruff voice), Lucy blurted out in her normal voice.

"Levy – chan! Wait… Fuck!"

"Wha-?"

Lucy hurriedly pressed her fingers against her throat. "Ohohoho! Sorry, th-that was my constipated voice! I sound so young when I'm constipated! Ohohohoho!"

The knock grew louder on the door and Lucy sighed, slumping her shoulders. She should have known Levy McGarden wasn't that easy to fool.

"Is that you? L-woah!"

Before the blunette could finish saying her pet name for Lucy, the wooden door swung open, a slender feminine arm darted out and grabbed her small wrist. A second later, Levy found herself slammed against the inner side of the door, with a hand pressed firmly against her mouth. Her hazel eyes widened when Lucy pressed a finger to her own lips and "Shh-ed!" loudly.

Levy nodded her head knowingly and the blonde released her grip on her friend's mouth just slightly, ready to seal off the blunette's speech again if need be. Thankfully, Levy didn't squeal, but instead spoke in a hushed whisper, though she instantly shot off a fusillade of questions.

"Lu – chan, is that really you? It's great to see you again. Where have you been? Why are you here? Wait, were you Erza's company just now? She was behaving weirdly after all… Why-"

Lucy sighed as she pressed her hand back onto the blunette's lips. Whipping out her mobile phone, she tapped across the screen quickly and lifted the mobile to her friend's face.

'Can't talk right now. I'll give you a missed call so you can contact me again. DON'T SHARE MY NUMBER! But I need your help now… GET ME OUT OF HERE!'

Levy's hazel eyes widened, and she quickly nodded, raising her arms to give Lucy a thumbs up that basically said 'leave it to me', to which the blonde smiled appreciatively and mouthed a 'thank you'.

Lucy gasped softly when the small woman suddenly flung her arms around her in a tight hug just as how Erza had done the second she had seen the blonde. Before Lucy could return the embrace though, Levy had spun away, leaving the cubicle in flurry of blue and Lucy quickly locked the door again. Pressing her head to the door, Lucy smiled as she listened to her friend work her magic.

"Natsu! Gray! Up up up! We're leaving now!"

"Huh? The heck you talking about, Levy? We're not done yet." Natsu's words were muffled with a chunk of Tabasco-ed turkey sub stuffed in it, and the resulting voice was rather… adorable. Lucy hurriedly gave herself a mental slap for that thought.

"I just received a text from Erza. She wants you two bozos back in the office ASAP."

"What? It's still our lunch break! Can't she wait?"

"Nope. Now get off your butts before I tell her you guys blatantly disobeyed her orders."

"But our food…"

"Just take it and go." The small woman huffed.

"God damn it…" Gray grumbled as he slid his chair back roughly. "That slave driver."

"This really isn't fair, Levy."

"Not my fault, Natsu. Take it up with the big boss."

The grumbles and complaints lasted all the way till the trio had left the confines of the café, signaled by the tinkling noise of the bell as the entrance swung open to allow for their exit.

This time the sigh of relief that Lucy released was uninterrupted and her back thumped against the wooden door as she finally relaxed.

"Thank you, Levy. I owe you one."

* * *

Yes, concise and to the point, but I'm in a rush. Sorry!

**The review button at the bottom is just begging you to press it.**

Faie. Out.


	7. A Marvelous dinner followed by…

7: A Marvelous dinner followed by…

_22__nd__ January, Monday. Magnolia City. Apartment unit 487. 6:05pm._

"Even the ex-husband card doesn't work with her… Well, I can't say that I didn't see that coming."

Lucy Heartfilia sighed as she sipped from her champagne glass. The blonde had to admit, her no-nonsense boss had at least _tried_ to sound apologetic, although her efforts were somewhat impeded by the flatness in her tone and the blunt lack of tact in her veto. Lucy slid the pads of her fingers along the thin cool glass stem, as her eyes gazed blankly into the swirling red liquid that was her way of dealing with rejection.

Now what? Even her Ace in the hole had failed, which meant that the reunion was now inevitable, as was every subsequent meeting that would surely follow over the next three months. Lucy contemplated briefly the perks of a digital partnership. They'd discuss everything across the computer, and if she ever had to run down to the office, she'd make sure to avoid at least _his_ path…

"Sighs. That'd never work." The moment anyone saw her, gossip was sure to start to fly and her anonymity would be blown out of the water.

Against better reason, she refilled her half empty glass and lifted it to her mouth.

Just before the rim touched her lips, Lucy paused and sat the glass down. She then tilted the wine bottle up to her mouth instead, taking in generous gulps that had her cheeks flushed within seconds.

"Puuuaah! Damn. I needed that." She wiped her lips with the back of her hand ungraciously and dropped the empty bottle into a recycling bag before dumping the remaining red liquid down the sink. A smirk came onto her lips as she watched the liquid gem swirl along the metal of the sink in licks of red and pink before seeping down the drain.

Everything that had happened up till the rather unfortunate toilet incident that afternoon had left her feeling weak and powerless in determining her own choices, so even the simple rebellious action of drinking straight from the bottle and wasting the rest had caused a sense of euphoria to rush through her.

Or maybe that was the wine…

Lucy giggled to no one as lightheadedness came over her head and she dropped heavily down across the seat cushions of the couch. Damn if she was going to sit properly.

Flicking on the TV set, a frown creased her lips when she realized the channel was still set to the news station. Not that she had anything against the news, but Channel N's late night newscaster had a voice that could bore even the socks off a master chess player. He'd been her lullaby ever since that night three years ago when she'd been bored at home and waiting for Na-

"Cartoons. That's what I want."

As soon as classic Acme gag reels filled the large screen, the blonde reached forward and fumbled for her mobile that had been sitting on the coffee table. She had had it off after the call to her boss and it was with a tense breath and steely determination that she now turned it back on again.

Needless to say, she was not looking forward to reading all the texts that Levy was bound to have spammed her with and as expected, her phone went crazy with vibrations that had the small handset almost sliding off her palm.

"One hundred and three new messages… and fourteen missed calls. Levy – chan… Oh. One message from Erza."

That wasn't surprising since Lucy had texted Erza to tell her about the rejected withdrawal from the project. The blonde sighed when she opened Erza's text. The 'one message' notice was severely misleading, given that the redhead had practically written her an essay worthy of a thesis paper's verbosity. The message was basically filled with words of sympathy, claims of unfairness and finally culminated with details on the where, what and when the trio of girls was going to have their celebratory reunion.

Lucy had to smile at that. While she loathed the idea of being stuck here in Magnolia for the next quarter year, her friends made it all worthwhile again. Well, somewhat worthwhile. She spent the next half hour reading and replying Levy's texts. The blunette had gotten impatient after one hour of texting and failed calls and had nagged their mutual redheaded pal as to why Lucy was now back, since she was now offering to bring costume disguises to work.

Dropping the mobile back onto the coffee table, the blonde stretched her arms skyward and climbed to her feet as a growing pang nagged in her belly. She had had dessert, now it was time for actual food.

Lucy had just shut her fridge door with a sigh of exasperation when there was a soft knocking sound on her door.

"Who could that be? It can't be…then again…"

Lucy scratched her chin awkwardly when she recalled her moment of utter shock when Erza and Levy had shown up at Crocus out of the blue. How they'd gotten her address she still didn't know.

There were two women standing out in the hallway when she opened the door.

One of them was tall and curvy, with long flowing hair that hung down to her waist. The other female stood at about Lucy's chest height, a meek smile on her small face. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise as the smaller female tucked her blue locks behind the shell of her ear, her foot turning nervous circles on the hallway carpet.

"Uh…Sorry, you are…?"

The older female extended a hand towards Lucy, a warm smile on her face. "We live down the hall from you." The younger girl, obviously the woman's daughter, smiled shyly as she shook Lucy's hand next. "We… we came to welcome you to the building."

"Oh! You guys are my neighbours?"

"Yes. We live in unit 426, just down the corridor. My name is Grandine Marvel, but you can call me Grandine. This is my daughter, Wendy… Say hi, sweetie."

"H-hello…"

Lucy smiled as she lightly patted the crown of the girl's head. "She's adorable. How...?"

"She's 12 this year, aren't you dear?"

"Mmhmm. What's your name, onee – san?" Wendy lifted her eyes towards the taller blonde, and Lucy was mildly surprised at the bright, curious gleam in her large brown orbs. A child's innocence and naïveté, she supposed, as Lucy squatted down to acknowledge young Wendy at eye level.

"I'm Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia. You can call me Lucy if you want."

"Lucy nee – san?"

Lucy giggled. "That too. Let's be friends, Wendy – chan?"

"Ha-haii!" The shyness on Wendy's face fleeted and was replaced with a carefree grin that lit up the hallway.

"Oh, where are my manners… Would you two like to come in?"

Wendy tugged at her mother's floral print skirt as she looked up at her for permission. The older woman smiled and stroked her daughter's long hair. "Only if you promise not to break anything."

"You're not coming too, Grandine – san?"

"I've to prepare dinner, which reminds me. Have you had yours?"

"I was just about to go out to grab something."

"You don't have anyone cooking for you?"

"No… I came to Magnolia alone for business."

Grandine gave an almost motherly smile. "Then come over to our place. I'll be more than happy to prepare your share."

"Bu-"

"I promise that you won't regret it. I'm making my specialty tonight."

Lucy looked down when Wendy tugged on her arm insistently. "Lucy nee – san! My mommy makes the best pasta in town. You'll love it!"

"You sure…? I don't want to impose."

"I always tend to cook too much. One extra mouth to feed will be rather helpful actually. You can always help me if you still feel like you're imposing."

"Then… thank you. I'd be happy to have dinner with you two. I'm… I'm not good with cooking, but I'd be happy to help wherever I can."

It was but moments later that Lucy found herself pulling tight the butterfly knot of the apron.

"Could you help boil the spaghetti? They're in the bottom right cupboard. Yes, that one."

"Uhm… sorry, I don't see them."

Grandine came around beside her, a confused look coming onto her face as she dug a hand through the assortment of dried food packets. "That's odd, I thought I…"

"I've got them here, mommy!" A chirpy voice rang out from behind the two women and they turned to see young Wendy waving the packet in a hand. Lucy took the packet from her with a 'thanks' and ripped it open to grab a handful of dried noodles.

"Can I help too?"

"Of course, sweetheart. You can help slice the chicken."

"Ok! I'll go wash my hands first!" The girl dashed off into the adjacent washroom while Lucy looked at the older woman in surprise. "Can Wendy handle a knife?"

"Of course. Don't worry about her," Grandine replied, as her wrist flicked expertly over large bulbs of onions, rendering them all into thin slices within seconds. Wendy has been helping with the cooking since she was eight."

"I see."

Lucy turned back to the handful of spaghetti she was still holding on to, before dropping them into the pot of boiling water. "I only started cooking when I turned 18, when I started college… and that's when I realized how useless I was when it came to basic survival skills." She threw in a small cup of oil before closing the lid over the pot, leaving the noodles to boil.

Lucy gave an inward sigh. If it hadn't been for her friends guiding her along, she was sure that she would have had to survive on instant noodles during her years away from home.

"But now you know how to, don't you?"

"Just the basics, even when I'm referring to recipes."

"Then you've been surviving on takeaways all these years?"

"Not really." Lucy shrugged. "My h… Th-the person I lived with was in charge of cooking from time to time."

"A good cook then, was she?"

"He, actually. And yes… although if it wasn't for me, we would have been eating nothing but meats all the time."

"He sounds like an interesting person." Grandine smiled, as she handed her daughter a clean blade with a verbal safety warning, more out of habit than necessity.

"… I suppose."

Lucy turned her gaze towards the floor, and her older company instantly picked up on the symbolism of that little action, that the blonde wasn't interested in espousing any further on this mysterious male cook. Grandine smiled at the pan as she sautéed the onions. Everyone had secrets, and if the blonde ever wanted to share, she would be there to listen, but for now…

"Lucy, could you pass me the mozzarella cheese please?"

"Sure."

* * *

"Damn, that was good." Lucy gave a groan of gastronomical satisfaction as she leaned back into the chair and rubbed her sated belly.

Wendy instantly leaped from her seat and pointed a finger at her, startling the blonde. "Ohoh! You said a bad word! You owe mommy a favour!"

"H-huh?"

Grandine chuckled as she passed around the dessert bowls of cookies n' cream ice cream topped with Hershey's chocolate sauce. "It's just something I arranged with Wendy. That whenever she says a bad word or does something wrong, she 'owes' me a favour."

"A favour?"

"Something simple, like a chore."

"I helped mommy wash the dishes yesterday. It's your turn to do them tonight, Lucy nee – san."

Grandine touched her daughter's arm lightly, signaling for her to lower it. "Lucy – san can help me some other time, Wendy sweetie. She's our guest tonight."

"But-"

Lucy chuckled as she sucked on her spoon, the delightful tang of cookies rising from the metal. "Why not you tell me all about the things that your mommy needs help with later, Wendy – chan? I'll pick one from the list."

"Lucy, you don-"

"It's fine, Grandine – san. I have nothing else to do anyway. I'd most likely be using the computer once I'm home."

Wendy pouted, a grayish – patch staining her chin, and her mother handed her a napkin. "Mommy says using the computer for too long isn't good. It'll spoil your eyes."

"That's right, Wendy – chan. That's why I only use them for an hour at a time."

Multiplied by six or seven, but her adorable neighbour didn't need to know that.

It was about 15 minutes later as Lucy wiped down the dishes alongside her hostess that Grandine thanked her.

"What for?"

Grandine gave her a soft smile as she handed Lucy a wet cup. "Wendy and I moved here five years ago, after… after Wendy's father passed away in an accident."

"I'm sorry…"

"And Wendy… although she doesn't really show it, I know she misses him terribly, as do I."

Grandine paused for a moment, a look of reminiscence coming onto her face.

"When our daytime nanny isn't around, Wendy spends most of her time at home by herself. The poor girl hasn't really been optimistic about making new friends. Plus her meek nature makes it hard for her to speak out. I'm thanking you for being willing to spend time with her when you've probably more important things to do."

"Grandine – san…"

"Thank you, Lucy."

"N-no! You don't have to… I'm glad to be spending time with you two. My evening had been turning kind of sour anyway."

"Lu-"

"Lucy nee – san! Hurry up!" Wendy's voice called out from the living room.

"Coming, Wendy – chan! Hold on!" Lucy gasped when the older woman suddenly took hold of her hands in her own soapy ones.

"Lucy, we'd be glad to have you over anytime. Just knock on our door."

"Thank you, Grandine – san."

"You're welcome. Now go, my daughter can be rather impatient, especially after she's had sweets."

As if to confirm her mother's words, the girl called out again. "Lucy nee – san!"

"Coming!"

"And wash your hands first. You've soap all over them." Grandine chuckled as Lucy smiled sheepishly.

Wendy was drawing out a list on a sheet of A3 paper when Lucy finally emerged from the kitchen. The blue haired child looked up proudly as Lucy sat down cross-legged opposite her.

"Pick one!"

Lucy affected a serious look of contemplation as she stroked her chin. Her finger came to rest on some red Crayon words.

"I already did the dishes with your mommy just now, so this one is out."

Wendy's face seemed to fall and her hands moved to crush the paper. "Then you don't need to-"

Lucy halted the young girl before she could crease the sheet. "It's alright, Wendy – chan. I like helping your mommy and you."

"Really?"

"Mmm. I'll come over next time to help you again when I'm free, ok?"

"Hai! Ok… I'll cross dishes out. Pick another one."

"Eh… Making your bed? Shouldn't that be your own job?" Lucy arched a brow, and the girl chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh well, I tried." She marked a big 'x' over those words.

"Hmmm… this looks ok. This one too." Following Lucy's fingers, Wendy made small ticks next to 'cooking dinner' and 'hanging the laundry'.

Lucy's trailing finger paused on the 9th row of words, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Feeding the cat? You have a cat?" She turned left and right, her amber eyes seeking out the elusive feline.

Wendy shook her head, smiling. "It's not ours. It's our neighbour's cat! He lets us feed it from time to time. Sometimes the kitty gets hungry and comes over to our doorstep when he's not at home."

"Oh? And what's he called?"

"Happy!"

Lucy chuckled and reached out to pinch the girl's cheeks playfully. "Yes, of course he's happy. What cat wouldn't be? When such a cute little girl is giving him milk?"

Wendy blushed a little at the compliment but shook her head vehemently. "No, I don't mean he's feeling happy. Though he does get happy a lot, he purrs whenever he sees me or mommy."

"Then…?"

"I mean that he's called Happy. That's his name. Happy!"

"Oh, what an interesting name!" Lucy clapped her hands together, finding child-like interest and delight in the idea of a cat called Happy that was always happy.

"And Happy doesn't like milk," Wendy continued. "He loves fish. You can see it in his eyes."

"What happens to his eyes?"

"They turn into heart shapes!"

Lucy couldn't help laughing. "Really?"

"Really!" Wendy nodded, her lips pursed in determination.

"Alright then, I believe you. Why not…" Lucy smiled as she made her own little tick next to 'feeding the cat'. "I'll help on this too. I had an orange tabby when I was your age and I like cats, especially ones with beautiful fur coats."

Wendy gave a little hurray. "Then you'll love Happy!"

"Why? Does he have orange fur too?"

"Nope!"

"Does he have… heart shapes on his fur?"

"Nope! I once saw a black cat with a white heart shape on his butt though." The girl gave an amused laugh at the word 'butt'.

"Then what does Happy look like?" Lucy asked, her curiosity now very much piqued.

"He's blue!" Wendy threw her hands up into the air.

"Blue?!" Lucy's eyes widened. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope." Wendy affirmed, as she stroked her own blue hair. "His fur is blue, just like my and mommy's hair. But our blue is darker. His is like… like the colour of sky!"

"That sounds like a beautiful fur colour for a beautiful cat." Lucy smiled, as she doodled a picture of a cat next to her tick, then coloured it in with a blue crayon.

Wendy nodded approvingly. "You draw very nicely, Lucy nee – san."

"Thank you, Wendy – chan. Not as good as you though." She indicated Wendy's doodles of two blue haired females in the corner of the sheet.

"But here…" Wendy coloured in a white patch at the end of the cat's tail. "Happy's tail is tipped white. Like this."

"Why not, Wendy – chan, you tell me more about this wonderful cat Happy?" Lucy smiled as she stroked her finger over the slippery crayon colourings.

"Sure!"

Lucy Heartfilia found herself reluctant to leave when the clock ticked 10pm. "I'll see you soon, Wendy – chan?"

"You can come over for dinner again anytime." Wendy spoke, her words punctuated with a yawn.

"I'd love to, but your mommy would have to say yes first."

"Of course I'll say yes, Lucy. Believe me when I say I would be equally as happy as Wendy to have you as our guest."

Wendy suddenly brightened. "Mommy, Uncle Iggy is coming to visit us on Saturday right? Can I invite Lucy nee – san too?"

"Of course, sweetie. Lucy, we will be having a lunch party with a friend this weekend. Just the three of us. How would you like to join us?"

"Huh? I-I wouldn't want to intrude on your private gathering!"

"Nonsense." Grandine waved her hand. "We would be delighted to have you over."

"That's right!" Wendy piped up. "Uncle Iggy is a very nice man, he wouldn't mind sharing the ice cream with Lucy nee – san."

"If you insist then." Lucy smiled gratefully as she squatted down to stroke Wendy's head. "I look forward to meeting the nice Mr. Uncle Iggy."

"You'll like hi-" Wendy's voice trailed off when she broke into another wide yawn. Grandine chuckled as she picked up her daughter. "Time for you to go to bed."

"Thank you again for the wonderful dinner, Grandine – san, Wendy – chan."

"You're welcome, Lucy."

The silence in her apartment was almost deafening, Lucy thought, as she closed the door behind her and prepared for a shower. As warm water slid through her fingers and down her skin, leaving chill wherever it trailed, Lucy closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against a marble wall of the shower stall.

Was this what her nights were going to be like from now on when she wasn't with Erza, or Levy, or Grandine and her adorable daughter? At least back in Crocus she shared an apartment with a roommate, a woman her age who was gone from dawn till dusk at her job as a restaurateur and made the most wonderful meals for the two of them.

The thought was depressing, she decided, as she slipped into a tank top and gym shorts, her wet hair whipping about under the relentless gusts from the hair dryer.

A loud buzzing sound rang out in the darkness a few meters away and Lucy sighed, half in exasperation, half in relief. She reached over and clicked the answer button that blinked green in the darkness of the room.

"Erza. What's up?"

"Lucy. Good, you're still awake. Are you available to come down to the office this Wednesday around lunch time?"

"Uhm... Yep. I've nothing on. What for?"

"To meet the HR team."

"Isn't that scheduled for the 30th?"

Erza paused on the other end of the phone, her voice dwindling into an almost whisper. "It might be better to keep your meeting with him in private for you guys to… sort things out first. If possible, I would like to avoid a belligerent confrontation on the 30th."

"…"

"That's if… if it's all right by you!" The redhead flustered.

"… I see." Lucy chewed nervously on her lower lip as she pondered the offer. While she wanted to put off meeting him again for as long as possible, this was a business project that she was undertaking, and some manner of discretion and professionalism was needed on her part. Railing or breaking down in front of her ex in the middle of the office as everyone stared was… undesirable.

"… Lucy?"

"I'll… I'll be there."

"Great. I'll text you as to which room-"

The screen on the mobile phone flashed into darkness as the battery pack popped free. Dumping the handset and the battery carelessly onto the bed, Lucy turned the hairdryer onto max speed, the sounds of the winds drowning out her thoughts.

* * *

_24__th__ January, Wednesday. Fairy Tail Corp, conference room 629. 11:45am._

"You sure you don't need me to stay with you?" Erza probed again, her body halfway out the door.

"For the hundredth time, no. I'm a big girl, Erza. I can look after myself."

"But…"

Erza's voice broke into a gasp when the door was flung open and a small female dashed in, making a beeline dive straight for the blonde perched on the conference table. Lucy almost toppled backwards as Levy slammed straight into her.

"Lu – chan! I missed you!"

"Levy – chan! I missed you too and- Shhh!"

"Sorry." Levy McGarden affected a look of contrition that was not reflected in her eyes as she leaned back to look at her long lost friend.

Erza spoke in a reprimanding tone from the doorway. "Levy, no one else knows that Lucy is back. Try to keep it down."

"Hai hai. Is it really true, Lu – chan? You're our event planner?"

"Mmhmm."

"Awesome! We'll get to work together for the next few months!"

"I didn't know that you were on the HR team, Levy."

"I'm not. That doesn't mean I'm about to be kept away from my best friend again!"

"Levy, shh-"

"I know, I know. Anyway, how are you feeling, Lu – chan?"

"About what?"

"About being back here and working with us and… uhm… you-know-who…"

Lucy chuckled weakly. "Can't say that I'm jumping for joy… but we'll see."

Before Levy could reply, Erza poked her head back into the room and gave a soft knock on the door. "Time to leave, Levy."

"Already?!" The blunette whined.

"He's here." Erza nodded and she closed the door on the two girls to acknowledge the approaching male in the hallway. Inside the room, Levy clasped her hands to Lucy's. "You'll be ok, Lu – chan?"

Lucy opened her mouth to give the reply that she'd been giving Erza the entire morning – that she'd be fine – but at that very second, a familiar voice rang out and Lucy's entire body tensed visibly.

"Yo, Erza! Who was it that I'm supposed to meet again?"

"Lu… Lu – chan?" Levy watched as her friend's eyes widened and the hands that held on to her own smaller ones tightened considerably to the point that it hurt.

"I'm…"

Levy's eyelids drooped as she watched her friend, albeit a tad fearfully. "You want me to stay here with you?" Lucy didn't reply, or rather she couldn't reply, as they continued to listen to the conversation enfold from just beyond the thin door of frosted glass.

"You'll be meeting the event planner, the one I mentioned a while back." Erza stated coolly.

"Oh. Cool! So ice head's stripper friend is inside there as well?"

"No. _Lyon – san_ will be meeting her on the 30th. This meeting is only between the two of you."

Lucy shivered as Natsu laughed his familiar boyish chuckle.

"Why am I a special case? Oh don't tell, silver head is busy trying to woo Gray's stalker girlfriend."

"Nothing like that. You'll see."

Natsu jumped when a small female suddenly burst out of the room, making sure to close the door behind her so that he could not see the mysterious stranger in the room. He started again when Levy grabbed the lapel of his suit and shoved him backwards. Surprise aided her efforts given that the male was twice her size.

"L-Levy? What's going on?"

"Levy, you shouldn't-"

The blunette cut off the redhead in a firm voice. "Sorry, Erza, but give us a minute alone please? I need to speak with Natsu."

"… Ok then. Just… just don't overdo it."

Natsu laughed awkwardly when the small girl turned her fierce glare back at him. "Uh… Levy? You mind telling me-"

"When you go in there, Natsu Dragneel, the first thing you're going to say is 'sorry'. Got it?"

"Huh?"

"I want you to say sorry."

"But why-"

"Just do it, or… Or I'll hit you!"

"Huh?!"

There was another knock on the conference room door, but this time it came from the inside.

"Levy – chan. Just let him in."

Natsu gave a strangled choke.

"But-!"

"I'll be fine. Let him come in."

"O-ok." The blunette hmph-ed and released the male, though he had stopped resisting her grip seconds ago. Natsu slumped back against the wall with his eyes pinned on the closed door.

"Natsu."

"…"

"Natsu!" Levy reiterated, adding a shake to his shoulder.

"W-what?"

"Don't mess this up. She had better not be crying when I come to pick her up later. Promise?"

"O-oh. I mean… Yeah, I promise."

"Good." Levy stalked off down the corridor with another loud "Hmph."

Natsu Dragneel forced himself to take a steadying breath as he continued to stare at the frosted glass door.

His arms hung limply by his sides as he struggled to regain his senses after hearing her voice again, and also from the shocking behaviour of the perennially mild and friendly Levy McGarden.

Silence had fallen in the hallway as Levy's and Erza's stilettos had long clicked out of earshot, the females having entered the elevator at the far end. He might as well have been standing in the middle of a busy street though, given the loud and persistent thumping sound ringing in his ears.

The male realized belatedly that that was the sound of his own heartbeat, as the small organ thudded wildly out of control in his chest cavity.

Natsu found himself shakily reaching for the door handle before his arm dropped lifelessly to hang at his side again. He could hear a tapping sound emanating from behind the frosted room walls, the sound of nails clicking on plastic and wood, followed by a soft sigh.

The male wished then, that he didn't have such keen hearing.

He knew what awaited him on the other side of this door; he knew with acute clarity who sat barely six meters away from him, and the thought of her being within such close proximity to him was highly unsettling.

Seven months and fourteen days since he had last heard her voice in that stark, merciless office chamber on a chilly afternoon.

One year, eight months and seven days since The Day he had fucked up, and she had fled their house despite the pouring storm outside.

One year, eight months and eleven days since she had last spoken to him with love in her voice, and in her eyes, and in her lips.

The door in front of him swung open, and Natsu's breathing drew to a sudden halt when a blonde woman came into view, her face impassive and emotionless as she regarded him.

"What are you waiting for? Come in."

Without waiting for him to respond, Lucy disappeared back into the room.

* * *

I have never been all that good with planning timelines, so coming up with the exact one for this fic was annoying as hell, especially the part where I had to count the number of days. I know that there's a four day gap between the seven and eleven days part; that shall be explained as the plot advances.

Yes, Natsu cooks. I love a male who can cook.

Now, give me a review...?

Faie. Out.


	8. Dragneel - san and Heartfilia - san

8: Dragneel – san and Heartfilia – san

The air conditioning was cold on her skin, and it sent goose bumps prickling across the exposed flesh of her lower arms. Lucy tucked a thick lock of blonde hair behind her ear and sat down at the head of the conference table, her eyes trained on the stark white surface but her attention 110% focused on the man who still stood at the doorway.

Even without looking, she knew what his expression would be like. Flummoxed, eyes wide, jaw slightly agape. His arms would be stiff by his sides, and his posture, typically casually relaxed, would be ramrod straight, every muscle tense. One might even think that the man had been starched together with the suit he donned.

The suit in question was a dark grey Armani that she distinctly remembered getting for him on their second anniversary, together with a leather Fossil watch that was currently nowhere in sight. Lucy wondered if he still wore it, or if it was collecting dust and mildew stains in the back of a draughty cupboard. As usual he wore no tie, and the first few buttons of the white shirt underneath were casually unbuttoned. Peeking from underneath longer than usual bangs, she caught sight of bare skin that she found herself staring one too many seconds at.

His skin was a little paler than before, and she wondered if he still kept up his old routine of taking morning runs in the park that sat quaintly two streets away from their old apartment suite. She guessed not, since those runs always left him with a healthy tan. Lucy wasn't even sure if that apartment by the park was still owned by him or whether he had moved after they had split. Legally, the place had been signed under both their names, but after the fiasco, she hadn't wanted anything to do with it except to clear her stuff from it lickety-split.

Natsu Dragneel wasn't a man particularly keen on surprises. He liked knowing if something was coming, how it would come, who would bring it, and exactly when it would come. This need to _know _only took a backseat when it came to special celebrations, like Christmas and Birthdays, and even that had been learnedfrom experience.

Like any other kid, he had been plagued by the overwhelming desire to open his presents two days too early and then wrap them up again. Unfortunately, he had only made it through one Christmas of opening and rewrapping his gifts before his mother had caught him. Mainly because back then he could find neither the tape nor the glue and as such, had attempted a shoddy way or re-securing the wrapping paper with what he normally used for envelopes – his saliva. After that, his parents had taken to wrapping up empty cardboard boxes and leaving them under the tree just to teach him a lesson. Of course, his actual presents would still dutifully show up when it was the right time to reveal their hidden splendor.

Yes, he didn't like surprises.

So imagine his surprise when he walks into a conference room with the impression that he was going to meet some starchy and prim middle aged woman in a Givenchy pantsuit with manicured nails, salt and pepper hair and a tight, pursed mouth waiting to impart criticism disguised as friendly advice on all who happened to cross her path. How did Erza describe their event planner again? Experienced, analytical, meticulous to a fault and a soon to be inextricable member of their team. Well, at least for the next three months or so. His boss had certainly, and very _conveniently_, left out the fact that she was blonde with amber eyes, Magnolia-born and an ex-Fairy Tail employee.

Oh, and who also so happened to be his ex-wife who bore a grudge larger than Fiore towards his guts. Did Erza really expect them to get along for a day, let alone a quarter year?

Lucy finally looked up from where she had been boring holes into her portfolio and arched a brow at him.

"Well? Are you going to sit down or do I need to pull out a chair for you?"

"Oh. Right. Ok. Sorry."

He fumbled with the chair nearest to him, which also happened to be the seat directly opposite her. The distance between them spanned almost six meters and he could swear her brow went up even higher. She did not, however, say anything about his choice of seat and instead flipped open the golden buckle of her black leather briefcase and slid out a similar looking portfolio, except this was pale green. With a quick flick of her wrist, the green file slid across the expanse of table between them with a soft rustling sound. His hand instantly shot up to halt it before it could slide off the edge. When he looked up again, Lucy had directed her gaze at the contents of her copy and Natsu sucked in his lips almost nervously. Seven months since he had last seen her, he should at least abide by the most basic of social conventions and _greet_ her.

Lucy visibly startled when she heard the sounds of chair wheels sliding across the carpet followed by the soft pattering of feet on their inexorable path towards her. She saw his dress shoes come to a stop barely two feet away from her own standard black pumps and the next breath that she drew was, accursedly, shaky. Her fingernails dug into the crisp white sheets as she hesitantly lifted her gaze, deliberately tilting her head slightly to one side so that her bangs would fall over her eyes and allow for not-so-direct eye contact between them.

Natsu had a somewhat calm expression on, except for a few things that gave it away as being blatantly affected. The sucking in of his cheeks was his little tic of displaying discomfort. His gaze was barely steady. His pupils were focused slightly to one side of her. He had one arm outstretched towards her, his fingers slightly curved inward in a handshake position. Beneath the fluorescent gleam, she could see that the skin of his palms weren't as smooth as before and his nails had been hastily trimmed, barely abiding by a standard gentleman's proper dress code.

"Yes?" Her voice was calm, which was not something she could say for her heartbeat. Knowing Natsu's ridiculously sharp hearing, he could probably hear the erratic beat of her heart, Godamnit.

"Well I… I thought we could at least have a, well, proper greeting first."

His eyes darted nervously to the other side and his expression seemed almost humiliated, as though he was facing a schoolteacher wielding a ruler that she tapped against her other palm.

"You want me to… shake your hand?"

"Well… yes. I guess. If you, uh… don't mind."

Natsu wanted to slap himself, and he would have, if he had been alone. Lucy was still sitting down, looking up and speaking to him in an almost incredulous tone, as though the idea of touching him was a feat that she did not think possible of herself, and that it was ludicrous of him to even suggest it. Before she could react to his response, he quickly brought his arm back down to his side and clenched his fist again.

"Never mind. Forget I said that." He then turned on his heel and strode stiffly back to his seat. Lucy was still watching him with a funny sort of expression on her face when he sat back down to face her, though she quickly shook her head as if to dispel stray thoughts from her mind and directed her attention back to her folder once more.

"As you can see here… Dragneel – san, I will be attached to Fairy Tail Corp. and Lamia Scale Inc. as the official event planner for the upcoming meet-and-greet convocation between the employees of both companies. I have specified during my accepting of this assignment that I would be working in partnership with the two HR managers from either side, and at that time, I did so _without _explicit knowledge of the actual identities of either managers.

In other words, I didn't knowingly choose to work with you since I still obviously hate your guts. Natsu sighed and nodded accordingly.

"My assignment here will officially start on second of February, after I meet the rest of Fairy Tail's and Lamia Scale's HR Manager and teams on the 30th of Jan. Are there any questions so far?"

He shook his head but when Lucy didn't reply, Natsu looked up and realized that she wasn't even looking at him. The blonde had her gaze trained on her folder with the intensity of an owl hunting its prey. There was probably going to be a lot of this deliberate avoidance of eye contact to come in the nearby future.

"I'm clear."

"Good. You can peruse the exact details in your own time; they're all specified in your event planning proposal. But just to give you a gist of what to expect, I basically need you to give me a general idea of what you expect of this event, the total number of Fairy Tail employees attending, the cuisine type… oh, and the budget available. I will be giving this same briefing to the Lamia Scale Manager on the 30th."

"Got it."

"After I review the proposals from both managers, I will go about selecting an appropriate venue and the necessary entertainment. A list of potentials shall be presented to both of you and Erza, of course, before the final bookings are made."

Lucy cleared her throat uncomfortably when he didn't reply. With her folder halfway up her face, she couldn't tell if he was looking at his file or at her, though some tiny rebellious part of her mind hoped that it was the latter. "Well. Uh, also, you will need to specify early whether any particular venues or entertainment types are not acceptable, so that I can focus and narrow my scope of search. I don't intend to waste unnecessary time on wild goose chases only to have my shortlisted candidates rejected simply due to preference."

The unspoken words were laid bare before them both. She wanted this project over and done with as quickly as possible so that she needn't spend a second more than necessary with him. Natsu maintained an expression of aplomb that was unreflective of the hurt that struck him when she said that. Seven months later, and she might as well have thrown another "Fuck you" at him like she had done in the lawyer's office. His fist clenched on his thigh and he suddenly had the urge to leave the room and take a very long, very exhausting run on a treadmill in the office building's gym.

Thankfully Lucy closed the folder then and took a steadying breath as she looked up to face him.

"Do you have any questions as to what your part is in this project?"

"No, I do not." He muttered and pretended to study the last page in the folder that she had not touched upon, though one thing caught his eye.

"You changed your number?"

The blonde seemed to startle at that question and coughed against her fist to hide her surprise. "Yes. I did. If you have any _work related_ queries, feel free to contact me there."

"Right. Ok."

"Well then." Lucy packed her briefcase and strode over to where he sat, a calm smile on her face. He winced the second he saw it; that was the smile she used when she considered a conversation to be condescending on her part. The last time he had seen it, she had been knocking on their neighbour's door telling a teenager to control her barking dog. At 3am in the morning.

"It was… nice to see you and I hope that we will be able to make this project the most vaunted event of the year." To _his_ surprise, she stretched out a hand towards him in a direct reflection of his previous offer of a handshake. "I hope that you will excuse my previous faux pas and accept this gesture of goodwill."

"Ah. Right. Sorry." Natsu stood up quickly and grabbed her hand in a firm handshake before releasing her fingers as though he had been burned. He grabbed his folder and with a terse nod, spun out the door, leaving the blonde standing there in the wake of his departure.

Lucy wanted to laugh. Lucy wanted to cry. Lucy wanted to take her heavy briefcase and bang it over the head of an annoying pink haired male. As far as reunions between exes went, this one went swimmingly well. No high voltage screaming or childish flinging of pen mugs, not that she had any on hand.

The surprise in his eyes when she had offered him a handshake had been genuine, unlike any other façade he had had on whilst she had been blabbing on. And then he had spun away from her as though the hounds of hell were upon his heels without even putting effort into a simple farewell. She hadn't known him to be such a chicken, though maybe that was partly her fault as well. She hadn't reacted appropriately when he had offered his handshake, though that was mainly due to her stupid brain collapsing on her. Sensibility had fled and all she could think about was whether his hand felt as rough as it looked. And by time her senses had returned, he had fled back to his haven at the far end of the room.

Speaking of which, why on Earthland had he chosen that seat? Not that she couldn't blame him. He'd been scared of her when they were married; God knows how he feared her now.

Lucy sighed and exited the room quietly. She'd composed herself beforehand with the single-minded intention of maintaining a professional relationship while she was here. It would be Dragneel – san this, Dragneel – san that, Dragneel – san would you like a cup of coffee, Dragneel – san what say we continue this discussion over chops in the cafeteria? And then he had strode in and the first thing that her blasted mind had thought of was that he still looked as yummy as ever. Godamn whatever workout routine he'd picked up.

The lift door at the end of the hallway was closing and Lucy broke into a sprint, uncaring if anyone saw her. All she wanted was to get home and soak in a languid bath of lavender scented bubbles and forget all about Dragn-

"Natsu!"

The word flew out of her mouth so quickly that she hadn't even realized she'd said it until she'd come crashing into his back when she rounded into the lift with barely a second to spare. Her briefcase tumbled onto the floor and its contents spilled out. Thankfully, her bottle was empty else there'd be more than one type of spill.

"Luce?"

"I-I mean, Dragneel – san! I, well… Sorry about that." She fell to her knees immediately and her arms started sweeping the scattered sheets together.

"You need some help?"

"No, I'm fine."

Lucy gave an inward sigh of relief when her papers complied and disappeared into the black recesses of her bag, albeit somewhat messily. She straightened quickly and patted her clothes down with a frown. So much for professionalism. Thankfully, he didn't say a word and simply watched the lift door as they rode the next ten floors down. And since this was Lucy we're talking about, what happened next just ruined the image of what she had hoped to be even more.

The lift doors slid open and in strode Gray and Cana, who was espousing some new sake convention. Instantly Lucy "eep-ed!" and ducked into the corner of the lift, trying as much as possible to shield her face without being too awkward about it. She had just about muttered a "Godamnit" into the lift wall when there was a sudden pressure on her back and she gasped when she realized that the pink haired male was now standing against her back-to-back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Dragneel – san?!" She whispered furiously, knowing that her voice would be masked by the excited chatter that the _intruders_ had going on.

"You don't want them to see you yet right? Just stay still."

"That doesn't give you the righ-"

"Yo, Flame Brain! You heading down to lunch too? Weren't you supposed to meet with Chelia about the Budger Project?"

"Hahaha! The belly wants what the belly wants."

"Ash Face, when did you become _poetic_?"

"Dunno. What? Can't your frozen popsicle mind comprehend my superior words?"

"Bas-"

"Geez, Gray. Chill. We're here."

A bell tinkle heralded the opening of the doors into the in-office canteen and the pair stepped out. "Well. Aren't you coming out?"

"I'm actually heading out to a new restaurant."

"New what now? I'm coming too!"

"See ya!" Natsu grinned cheekily as he closed the steel doors on Gray's face. He sighed in relief and took a step away from the woman sandwiched between the wall and himself.

"You ok, Luce?"

Lucy stepped out of her little corner, praying to whatever Gods who were still on her side that her face wasn't as red as she thought it was. Unfortunately, Natsu piped out. "Are you blu-"

The blonde jabbed a finger in his shoulder, eliciting a wince from him. "No. I am not blushing. And it's Heartfilia – san to you, buster. No, damnit. _Dragneel – san_."

"Ok ok… Heartfilia – san. Geez. That's weird as hell to say."

"I don't care. You will address me in that way at all times. Get your facts right, Dragneel – san. I'm here on business, and while I did not choose to work with you, that's the onerous task that I've been saddled with."

"Uh…"

"Yes, I am thankful for you shielding me, though that only worked out because you've really gained weight in the past few months."

"Hey! I'm not f-"

"For the next three months, it will be Heartfilia – san this, Heartfilia – san that, Heartfilia – san would you like a cup of coffee, Heartfilia – san what say we continue this discussion over chops in the cafeteria?"

"Wow. You really thought that out."

She jabbed him again. "There will be _no mention_ of our previous relationship, none, zip, nada. And if people talk, change the topic immediately. Got that, bus- Dragneel – san?"

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Excuse me?"

"You were so calm in the meeting room I thought that you had gone crazy or something."

"You-"

"Glad we sorted that out. Also…"

The lift bell dinged the reaching of the main entrance lobby and Natsu reached out and tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear, causing her to flinch.

"We're here. You need me to shield you again?"

"You-! Gah!" Lucy shoved her briefcase against his chest and stalked out of the lift, her heels clacking noisily against the polished linoleum. She could already hear the buzz of whispers as the lunch crowd thronged around her and she winced. Whenever a familiar face came into view, she let her bangs fall over her eyes and ducked her head downwards, hugging her briefcase to her chest as though it was a protective shield.

"Lilianna!" Natsu called out from behind her.

What the hell was that idiot doing now? Lucy grimaced as she heard him dash towards her. She jolted when he suddenly grabbed her arm.

"What the hell do you want now, Dragneel – san?!" She gritted out through clenched teeth.

"_Lilianna._" He stated firmly again, and loudly enough so that the people in their immediate vicinity could hear him. Natsu reached into his pocket and retrieved a red plastic pouch. "I think you will need this."

Lucy's eyes widened. "A poncho? Why would I- oh."

A group up ahead stepped through the automatic doors and for the first time, Lucy's mind registered the rush of the shower that poured from overhead down onto the streets.

"No thanks. I have an umbrella."

"A _poncho_ will serve you better. Take it." He thrust the pouch into her hand then quickly strode back to the lift lobby again.

Staring at the pouch again, the blonde noticed that that the poncho came with a large hood and her lips parted with a soft exhalation. She turned back around only to see Natsu's figure disappear behind closing lift doors. Which reminded her, wasn't he going out to some new restaurant? Gray's words popped into her mind just then, something about some meeting with… The realization dawned upon her as she stepped through the automatic doors and was immediately assailed with cold winds.

He wasn't even leaving the building. Which meant that the only reason he rode the lift all the way down to the lobby from the 30th storey was...

"Damn him. I didn't ask for his help."

* * *

Flying off to winter tomorrow with a cough that generates enough power to sustain a city for three months.

As River might say. _How exciting_.

Godamnit.

Press the Review button.

Faie.


End file.
